3 supers for a brood chamber configuration

[Sarah Castello]

I have gone to a 3 super box brood chamber, instead of two larger brood boxee, due to weight. This is my first year trying this. Anything I need to know about this configuration?

Thanks,

Sarah

[Andrew Berna]

I have used this configuration before and it worked great. Nothing special. 

Andrew Berna

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[Reenie Van Lanen]

That's how my hives are configured.  I don't feel I do much of anything different.  In the fall, I put the super that has the majority of the colony (eggs, larvae, capped brood) on the bottom.  I do that again in the spring because the bees have worked their way up back up during the winter.

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[Greg V]

I have built my own custom Warre-like hive with much smaller square chambers - still compatible to Langs (kind of important).

One thing with smaller boxes - you will have to handle many more frames - may or may not matter to you.

But looking for a queen is more difficult - more frames to look through.

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[Greg V]

But again - you need to value your own back much more over a few minor hassles.

[Paul Zelenski]

Add a 4th as insurance. 

On Jul 24, 2025, at 00:32, Greg V <voro...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Joseph Bessetti]

What do we call a super with brood in it?  

I find it interesting that we can get locked into calling a certain size box one name “brood box” and another size another (“super”). 

I tend to just call them “deep” and “medium” boxes.  A lot of people use only one size box for everything. If there is brood in it, I tend to call it a brood box regardless of size.  If I add it to the colony to collect the season’s honey, it’s a “super”, regardless of the size.  

If anyone was unsure of the terminology I hope I’ve properly confused you now.

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 24, 2025, at 1:13 AM, Paul Zelenski <paulze...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Greg V]

All my boxes are of the same size and fully exchangeable, and this is exactly how I want it.

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[Joseph Bessetti]

You have the bees raising brood in the frames you later spin honey out of?    Ew!

HaHa!

Some people are weird about that.

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From: mad...@googlegroups.com <mad...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Greg V <voro...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2025 8:51 AM
To: mad...@googlegroups.com <mad...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [madbees] 3 supers for a brood chamber configuration

 

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[Greg V]

Absolutely I will. I will even crush and strain them. Isn't it gross? :)

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[Paul Zelenski]

We actually don’t call them those names based on the size. A super is the honey box and goes on top, hence the name super. Currently most people use mediums for supers, but shallows had been very popular for a long time. 

You can have medium or deep brood boxes. Many people use mediums for both brood and supers so the frames can be interchangeable. 

So, the proper names distinguish between use (super/brood) and size (shallow/medium/deep)

On Jul 24, 2025, at 16:30, Greg V <voro...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Greg V]

Well, there is a "brood box" and there is a "honey super" - these are functional uses of wooden boxes (used as labels). The same box may be today a brood box - then it will become a honey super few weeks later.  All it is to it - regardless of the geometrical sizes.

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