NigelP wrote: ↑16 Jun 2019, 16:46
Adam Bee wrote: ↑16 Jun 2019, 10:16
, I can reduce the frame count down from a full 12 and give myself a non-populated frame to remove before inspecting.
If you are using Nationals it's not a good idea to fit the 12th frame in...11 is the usual standard. The bees will propolise the edges and you will struggle to get the frames out. Some go for 11 and dummy board, but I find even this is quite tight so go for 11. If you scrape wax off flat sides of DN4 frames then you will create a small gap which I leave usually at entrance end and you (mainly) find this is respected by the bee who seem to use it as a free passageway into the supers....but not always
Nigel: thanks for the feedback. I’m running “all mediums” and no queen excluder, as I’m not honey farming, per se, and I want the simplicity of interchangeable equipment.
As we are in the UK, I’m using the Rose OSB (one size box) so I can stay compatible with all other National dimensions. The main difference is depth, at 190mm. My nuc came on DN4s, so I have a 35mm eke under that box.
Now, these boxes take 12 frames and there is a small amount of free space that I can use to move the first frame a little bit away from the next frame and pull it out. This was not problem until the last two inspections where the bees has full occupancy of all 12 frames. I had to be very careful getting that first frame out and I was worried about rolling someone.
My feeling was to make up a set of dummy boards to push up against frame 2 that would make it easier to remove as it wouldn’t have (that many) bees on it.
I have this feeling that there is a little more space in the Rose over a National as the external dimensions are identical to nationals but in the construction of the box they use slightly thinner timber for the end boards, giving what I see is a little more volume. I should measure this to be sure.
My worry is that with only 11 frames, I would get brace comb at one end to fill the gap. Maybe this won’t happen? Don’t know.
So, your comment made me do some research. You said
“you will create a small gap which I leave usually at entrance end”. This was something I hadn’t really thought about: “What orientation should frames be in a hive? Parallel or Perpendicular to the hive entrance?”
It’s easiest to inspect from the side with my hive, so I have oriented my hive so the frames run perpendicular to entrance. This means the bees just enter and go up into the frames, rather than ducking under the first frame.
So: what do people feel? Dummy board? Empty space? Parallel? Perpendicular? Do you have a preference? And why?
Running "Foundationless All Mediums with No Queen Excluder". Each box is national spec, but 190mm deep.