After I first began beekeeping, hardly ever someone was once the use of all medium supers of their apiary, however it kind of feels to have stuck on extra in recent times. So, I assumed I’d percentage why I love to stay my bees in all medium packing containers. It’s no longer as regards to ease of lifting, I’ve found out a number of different advantages to this taste and I’m glad to percentage them with you under.
Ease of Lifting
The obvious advantage of the use of all medium supers is that they’re lighter and more straightforward to boost. For exapmple, should you love to have two brood packing containers, you’ll wish to raise one to get to the only at the backside. That is a lot more straightforward to do with two medium packing containers. I really like to present my colonies two medium packing containers for his or her brood nest, then I upload a queen excluder and proceed so as to add supers as wanted for honey.
No longer best are medium packing containers more straightforward to boost as a result of they weigh much less, they’re additionally a extra managable dimension. They’re much less awkward to care for. I will simply take them off and put them again on which is helping me weigh down fewer bees and makes me really feel extra assured in my actions. Even lifting frames out is more straightforward. After I pull up a deep body, the heigh of the brush supplies many alternatives for hidden bridge comb firther down. It’s no longer at all times an issue, however on occasion deep frames are tough to take away from the field and I will’t see what’s going down. Medium frames then again, aren’t as tall. I will see all of the aspect prior to I start lifting and care for any bridge comb prior to I begin to pull.
Calmer Bees
I in finding that once running all medium hives the bees are more straightforward to stay calm. I believe that it is because there are fewer bees in every field. So, as I paintings my means via, I’m annoying fewer bees in line with field. Additionally, I believe that I make much less errors that can lead to beaten bees once I paintings mediums as a result of each the frames and packing containers they’re lighter and more straightforward to care for (as discussed above). When a bee is beaten, she releases and alarm pheromone that can cause different bees to turn out to be defensive.
Is helping with Mites
Have you ever heard of the idea that that much less brood way much less mites? Since varroa mites reproduce in honey bee brood, the extra brood you will have, the extra alternatives the mites need to develop in inhabitants. Therfore, it may be really helpful to scale back the dimensions of your brood nest. As a substitute of 2 deep brood packing containers, check out two mediums as I do! By myself, it will not be sufficient to control mite ranges to your colonies, however it may well utilized in tandem with different strategies. Chances are you’ll need to be informed extra about this concept from Dr. Tom Seeley. You’ll be able to watch him speaking about this and a few comparable ideas on this presentation beginning round 35:00 minute mark.
Flexibility
One more reason I really like the use of all medium packing containers is that it provides me extra flexibility for managing my colonies. I really like as a way to transfer frames between all my packing containers. I in finding this particularly useful for biking out older comb. After I wish to eliminate a body of comb that comprises brood, I merely transfer it up above the queen excluder and look forward to the brood to emerge after which I will take away it or look forward to it to turn out to be honey and harvest it out. I additionally rearrange combs as one way for swarm keep watch over. I will be able to transfer brood frames up above the queen excluder and exchange them with empty frames within the brood nest. This breaks up the distance and stay the brood nest from turning into crowded.
So what do you assume? Would you give all mediums a check out?