Looking for hive components that are easier to manage? On average, 8 frame wooden bee hives weigh 20% less when full compared to 10 frame woodenware, making them an ideal option for beekeepers of all experience levels.
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Benefits of 8 frame bee hive components include:
- Manageability: Lighter weight makes lifting and inspecting hives less strenuous, especially for new beekeepers.
- Better Winter Survival: Some beekeepers believe that 8 frame hives promote better brood overwintering due to the taller frame allowing clusters to move more easily through honey stores.
Betterbee offers a range of assembled and unassembled 8 frame bee hive components and equipment, including covers, stands, and screens. Assembled wooden bee hive equipment saves time and comes ready to paint, while unassembled equipment is cost-efficient, but requires nails or hardware for assembly. While selecting your equipment, consider this common beekeeping terminology:
- Deep Hive Bodies (or Brood Boxes) are where the brood is raised—usually the first two boxes of the hive. They are deeper (taller) than honey supers, which is why they are referred to as deeps. Some beekeepers prefer to use three mediums rather than two deep hive bodies because it's lighterweight when full.
- Mediums (or Honey Supers) are placed on top of the brood boxes and where honey is stored. When filled with honey, 8 frame medium supers can weigh up to 50 pounds.
- Shallows are used to store honey or for making comb honey. An 8 frame shallow super weighs up to 35 pounds when filled with honey.
- Select or Commercial Grade refers to the grade of wood used to make your woodenware. Select has only an occasional small knot and is ideal for varnishing. Commercial has a greater number of solid knots and is suitable for beekeepers who paint their woodenware.