Side Stacker Update February 2024

[@Nobudee]

Love that you're showing this experiment, I am planning some combination of what you have (side by side brood and supers) and the Beebarn by VinoFarm (insulated brood chamber with extra-long frames). Your explanations here just saved me a ton of time doing my own experiments, and I can pickup from one of your later versions! Thx!

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

" I can pickup from one of your later versions!"...I have high hopes for version ten. Thank you. Scott

[@eastsussexbeesandwildlife5801]

Like the idea of not having to lift off heavy supers when examination of the brood box is required. Thanks so much

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

Yes, that is the goal, and if I see a swarm I can get in the brood box fast and easy.

[@lester3836]

You make some great videos. Really makes one think. Most single brood management starts in two deeps and gets pushed down into one deep at the right time. Then add queen exclude and supers.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"Most single brood management starts in two deeps "...Yes, I will have to give that some thought. Thank you

[@phillipduncan2497]

There was a vendor at the North American Honey Bee Expo had a hive that uses some of the same approach. Look for the Keepers Hive. Enjoy your videos. Keep them coming.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

" Look for the Keepers Hive."... So far I have only seen one video, it looks interesting. Thank you.

[@stumettler7973]

Thanks Scotty long time viewer you actually encouraged me to start bee keeping with your videos. Thank you again for your efforts.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"Thank you again for your efforts"..Thank you, I am glad you are enjoying the videos. Scott

[@bobcearns5220]

You're great fun to watch and lots of things to learn. If I got nothing else from you than the idea to give my boxes a 1/4 turn on their base for easier access and handling of the frames it would still be worth it.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

" If I got nothing else from you than the idea to give my boxes a 1/4 turn on their base for easier access and handling"...I think if I hadn't found that I likely would not have kept bees, I got the idea from a gentleman named Dave Erie.

[@bobcearns5220]

Even if you don't want to go the route of permanently insulating your brood boxes you might want to try the frames that Vino Farms uses in a deep and a medium space. I've just come through my first winter with a single hive and they are booming. I still have honey boxes to remove to get to the brood because I'm still stacking them on top but that's an issue for you to work on. With no breaks between the foundation you get the benefit of a double deep without the issue of the bees having to break cluster to move up or down.

[@rtxhoneybees]

Bob, I am also experimenting with the deep+medium single brood box. I have a few videos on it. I use starter strips so the biggest challenge I have faced is making sure the hives are dead level. if they are not the comb will drift from the intended frame over to the adjacent frame before it reaches the bottom.

[@bobcearns5220]

I made new longer, full length sidebars with a gap between the two pieces of foundation. The bees infill the gap and they get to choose whether they make worker or drone cells in that space.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

@@bobcearns5220 "full length sidebars with a gap between the two pieces of foundation"...I like that idea, much like the communication holes I make.

[@bobcearns5220]

I'm puzzling over the easiest way to propagate my bees with these deep frames. As it stands I will probably put another set of the same frames in some extra boxes on top and hope the queen moves up to lay some brood.@@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

@@bobcearns5220 " easiest way to propagate my bees with these deep frames"...Yes that might be an issue, I also move frames from one hive to another to boost or to slow them down, I am watching the extra deep frames, but for now I want to stay with a standard frame.

[@HoneypatchRanch]

1st things 1st thank you for making bee videos in the winter for all of us northern beekeepers who get a bit restless. I personally like version 7 the best. For your last version I believe it was 10, why don't you make a table like holder kind of like you already do for your boxes and set your honey supers on that. Then your bees would basically have a sun porch to keep the sun and rain off of them. In any case keep up the experimenting it's always fun to think of and try new things!

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"1st things 1st thank you for making bee videos in the winter for all of us northern beekeepers who get a bit restless."......Your welcome "why don't you make a table like holder kind of like you already do for your boxes and set your honey supers on that. Then your bees would basically have a sun porch to keep the sun and rain off of them"....I like that, Thank you.

[@gonnagetya1433]

Might need to rewatch this a few times. Been thinking of something similar, but never implemented it.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

grab a coffee and sit back and watch again...LOL...I do that many times with some videos.

[@bugboy5526]

Have you considered using four frame nuc boxes for your honey supers Over top of half of your brood box with a slanted roof to shed the rain. It would solve the heat issues and access to the honey supers. Four frame honey supers are significantly lighter

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"Four frame honey supers are significantly lighter"....Yes, that s something to think about, Thank you.

[@lester3836]

I think the long Lang could work just allow the queen to access to all 20 frames then near end of swarm season and the beginning of flow push her into the front ten add queen excluder let the brood hatch out of the back 10 frames and get back filled then start adding supers.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"end of swarm season and the beginning of flow push".....My summer is short and fast, swarm season and honey flow seem to be the same season....LOL...But I will think about that Thanks

[@russellkoopman3004]

Very interesting Scott. When looking at version 10 I like the older version with only one dummy box. With two empty boxes your stack of honey supers could get quite tall but no taller than any other double deep. Could you make a quiet cloth that would hang down over the opening on the side? That may keep the bees back inside? I think you are on to a working version, it may not be perfect but what is? Have a great 2 months waiting for spring.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

" With two empty boxes your stack of honey supers could get quite tall but no taller than any other double deep."...I have a plan to build a stairs on wheels...LOL "Could you make a quiet cloth that would hang down over the opening on the side?"...Yes I had one made for Hive 5 it should work here as well. Thank you.

[@BLachance75]

As much as I think the Vino Farm bee barn is way to much work and overkill I do think that the frame design is a good idea. Have to considered making custom deeper frames so that you can pull them out and not have to worry about lifting a second box? Like you I can't get single deeps to work. If I had more time to go through hives I could probably get it to work however I find it easier to simply run all my brood chambers as a deep and a medium. That give the bees plenty of room to raise brood, store pollen and have a honey band on top. I'm going to do a few experiment this year to see if I can come up with an easier option than custom building frames. I'm going to try to put the medium box on top of a deep. Every other frame will be setup normally as a medium frame over a deep frame. The other frames I'm going to put a deep in the top box and leave the space under it empty so that the bees build their own comb on the bottom of the frame. My thinking is that having comb on the side of every other empty space will help to prevent wonky or not straight comb. If it works I can switch out the traditional frames for a deep frame in the top box as they draw out the middle frames.

[@rtxhoneybees]

I agree. I am running 5 or so of what I call Texas Deeps. I am hoping I can run them like singles without the added pressure of swarming and having to feed right after harvest. I got them established last year with caught swarms so this year I should be able to evaluate better. I am going to add 4 or 5 more this year as well. I have videos on them from last year. I use a starter strip instead of plastic foundation like vino farms does so I have to really make sure the hives are level. The comb will drift on you if they are not.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

" Have to considered making custom deeper frames"...No, I don't mind lifting one brood box to get to the one under it, what I hate is moving all the honey boxes to get there, and I move frames from hive to hive so often to boost a weak hive or slow down a strong hive that I don't want to start making different size frames.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"I use a starter strip instead of plastic foundation"...I have also started to add foundationless frames I find so long as they are between two frames that are drawn straight that the bees do a okay job even if the hive is a little off tilt.

[@GeorgeCMcRae]

Excellent! Nine and ten and stealing the "pro's" from all the other versions. Here's a suggestion for version eleven or twelve, because you just know you will....(LOL!!!!) double deep frames. like I have done. two frames attached to each other. then you dont have to dissasemble the two brood boxes to get to the bottom box. There are two ways for this: double deep OR a deep and a medium. But since you double deep over winter I suggest double deeps. THe bees build straight down, very nicely. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6XTd4aNbb-Bl7Msi=udtbrKWdr8MY-QiC kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCvhICaoZKWla8si=OGuGNnueacU0AO7u

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

Thank was fun, I am glad to see I am not the only one that get a big kick out of swarms...LOL

[@GeorgeCMcRae]

@@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario Nothing better than a swarm!!!!!! Makes me feel completely alive!

[@jasonjohnson1984]

Hey Mr. Scott what about keeping 8 and have 2 brood chambers or 3 if the queen is pumping out like you say I stopped to write this now watching version 9

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"Scott what about keeping 8 and have 2 brood chambers or 3 if the queen is pumping out"...When you saw 9&10 you must have thought humm great minds think alike...LOL

[@5280Beekeeping]

Is there a reason you just don’t do a double deep frame? That way you don’t have to remove the top box to inspect your brew box you only have 10 frames to inspect that way.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

"Is there a reason you just don’t do a double deep frame?"....Yes, a few, but the main one is I often move frames from one hive to another to boost or to slow down a hive and for now I would like to have all my frames standard. Thank you. Scott

[@joeelam1]

What about that Keeper Hive?

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

I am watching it to see how it works out, Thank you.

[@Velacreations]

Here's the inline design I have settled on, you can super 10 frame boxes on it, each side is 13 frames and are square, so frames can go in any orientation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fniqpnVun791b7s

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

Very Interesting, Thank you.

[@Velacreations]

@@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario we have a lot of discussion of collateral hives and inline frames on beesource, if you want to come discuss the details.

[@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario]

@@Velacreations "we have a lot of discussion of collateral hives and inline frames on beesource, if you want to come discuss the details."...Thanks but no thanks...I have not looked at any of the forums in years, In the past I have, but I always found that if someone was thinking out of the box, there were far to many people that were all to willing to shoot down the idea (negative nannies) with no reason except that they did not possess the mental capacity or the resources to try the experiment and therefore they feel that we shouldn't and it always seems to be someone with an anonymous name. I simply do not have the time or energie to deal with these losses, so I just avoid them.I will however keep an eye on your experiments.

[@Velacreations]

@@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario understood, if you do want to go over there to just read my threads about the hives, how I made them and how they perform, I include all the measurements and lots of photos. I'll try and post more on youtube of them as well

[@Velacreations]

@@BeekeepinginNorthernOntario I have basically 3 different collateral-style designs running right now, one is made from 10 frame Langstroth standard boxes (just butted together with a common bottom board), another is a 15 frame x 2 inline frame hive (passages through the wall under the frame rest), and the 3rd is a 13 frame x 2 inline frame hive (each side is a square langstroth box, described in the video above). I find the Inline frame orientation makes a big difference in the performance of the collateral hives. The bees seam to adapt to the horizontal format better when they can travel down the frame seams, instead of across the frames.