Super Spacers & Plastic Rails

[Swift Nick]

I purchased some flat pack supers in the winter sale, I have just been putting them together. They each come with two of the white rails or strips that the SN1 frames sit on. However I have purchased 10 slot castellated spacers to fit to the box to sit the frames in. I am thinking that providing I set the castellated spacers at the correct depth to provide bottom bee space, I don’t need to fit the white plastic rails.
Is that correct, or am I missing something, thanks.
Nick

 

[gillsmith]

If they are our (Thorne) sale supers, you don't use both the runners and castellations. Look at our You Tube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaSw-gcycrQ

 

[Swift Nick]

Thank you. Yes those are the ones, thank you for the link to the video, that is very helpful.
Cheers Nick

 

[G4WIL]

I purchased some flat pack supers in the winter sale, I have just been putting them together. They each come with two of the white rails or strips that the SN1 frames sit on. However I have purchased 10 slot castellated spacers to fit to the box to sit the frames in. I am thinking that providing I set the castellated spacers at the correct depth to provide bottom bee space, I don’t need to fit the white plastic rails.

Is that correct, or am I missing something, thanks.

Nick

That is correct !


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[Barbarian]

When fixing the castellation, I use a couple of push-pins to get it level and the correct height before nailing.
You can get the top of the topbar level with the top of the super by using your thumb to match up the top of the castellatio with the top of the super.

 

[G4WIL]

When fixing the castellation, I use a couple of push-pins to get it level and the correct height before nailing.
You can get the top of the topbar level with the top of the super by using your thumb to match up the top of the castellatio with the top of the super.

I don’t use castellations in any box .
In the brood box they make the rolling of bees difficult to avoid.
In the supers I start with 11 frames and reduce the numbers to 9 eventually !
Still, each to their own ![emoji3]


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[Beefriendly]

I don’t use castellations in any box .
In the brood box they make the rolling of bees difficult to avoid.
In the supers I start with 11 frames and reduce the numbers to 9 eventually !
Still, each to their own ![emoji3]

Used to use metal castellations many moons ago... gloves get torn to shreds on their metal edges. Much simpler to space 9,10 or 11 frames by eye. The bees soon "glue" them in position.
If anyone wishes to purchase about 100 of them (used), please let me know.

 

[Swarm]

11 slot Castellations provide a better space for the bees. Nice fat honey arcs and drone brood is not uncapped by moving frames.

 

[G4WIL]

Super Spacers & Plastic Rails

11 slot Castellations provide a better space for the bees. Nice fat honey arcs and drone brood is not uncapped by moving frames.

Better than what ?
Hoffmann self spacers work perfectly !
You remove an end frame , then separate each frame before lifting . No rolled bees !


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[Swarm]

Better than hoffman spacing.
Drone brood regularly gets uncapped with hoffman spacing because the space is too small and they get stuck together.

 

[G4WIL]

Better than hoffman spacing.

Drone brood regularly gets uncapped with hoffman spacing because the space is too small and they get stuck together.

There are two sizes of spacing with Hoffman’s , plus if you put one super frame in, most of the drone brood will be located there.
Make it part of your IPM


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[applejack33]

My mentor taught me Hoffmans or end spacers on rails in the brood chamber with a dummy board replacing the first frame and a shallow frame in fourth place for drone comb building. Take out the dummy then slide each frame towards you and lift without rolling bees or uncapping drone comb.
Frames in the super can be wider apart on castellations, say 9 frames in a National giving wider comb, and this will obviously hold more honey than a narrower comb and means less frames to process for the same amount of honey........ hopefully.
A

 

[Swarm]

Make it part of your IPM

I want my drones.

 

[G4WIL]

My mentor taught me Hoffmans or end spacers on rails in the brood chamber with a dummy board replacing the first frame and a shallow frame in fourth place for drone comb building. Take out the dummy then slide each frame towards you and lift without rolling bees or uncapping drone comb.

Frames in the super can be wider apart on castellations, say 9 frames in a National giving wider comb, and this will obviously hold more honey than a narrower comb and means less frames to process for the same amount of honey........ hopefully.

A

My method only thing to remember is don’t go straight to 9 frames in a super or it will be a mess with brace comb [emoji6]


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[applejack33]

Yep gradually widen the spacings. Let the bees build normal 11 or 12 frame comb then use end spacers to get ten frame width, say, then after that go to 9 frame width with any method you prefer. Not necessarily all in the same season....
A

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are two sizes of spacing with Hoffman’s

Really?

if you put one super frame in, most of the drone brood will be located there.
Make it part of your IPM

foolish waste of time - no wonder people are complaining of poorly mated queens.

 

[G4WIL]

Super Spacers & Plastic Rails

Really?







foolish waste of time - no wonder people are complaining of poorly mated queens.

In your opinion of course !
I don’t get badly mated Queens !
I do however have colonies with light mite load .
My apiary isn’t off shore, there are plenty of unrelated drones in the area [emoji6]


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[Beefriendly]

I do however have colonies with light mite load .

On Drone brood culling alone?
I've always thought (perhaps wrongly) that it is a waste of resources for the bees, all that pollen and nectar they have to expend to draw the wax, raise the drones and then you just cut them out and feed to the local bird-life....a huge waste when there are better and more efficient ways of managing varroa. I'd rather they used all that hard collected pollen and nectar on making more foragers and hence more honey.

 

[Hivemaker.]

There are two sizes of spacing with Hoffman’s

Really?

Three.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/bsframesides.html

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Readily available to the UK small quantity buyer?