Brood Box For Bees: Understanding The Heart Of The Hive
When you begin to dig into the world of beekeeping, the terminology can be so confusing! Beekeepers seem to be talking a different language! When it comes to hive boxes, beekeepers use terms like supers, deeps, mediums, and brood boxes. Let’s break down the parts of the hive starting with one of the most important parts, the brood box for bees.
Three Main Sizes of Boxes
In a Langstroth hive, there are three main sizes of boxes: deep, medium, and shallow boxes.
Notice that only the box height changes from box to box. All of these boxes also come in an 8-frame size that has a narrower width, measuring only 14″ wide. It’s important to note that each size box has wood frames that are specific to that size box.
Since Langstroth hives are a stack of boxes in these three sizes, different hive configurations can vary from apiary to apiary. Your choice of hive boxes may be based on your ability to lift heavy boxes or your desire to simplify or standardize your equipment.
Commercial beekeepers use only deep boxes for all parts of the hive. The larger boxes mean fewer beehives are needed to maximize their profit. They can also purchase frame parts using bulk discounts, lowering overhead. They hire employees with the expectation that they can handle lifting and carrying heavy boxes. A full deep box can weigh almost 100 pounds!
In your backyard apiary, you may choose only to use medium boxes for all parts of the beehive. A medium box, while still heavy comes in about 45 pounds lighter than a deep box. Most beekeepers use a combination of boxes to build a Langstroth hive.
What Makes a Hive Box a Brood Box?
While similar standards in beekeeping are followed, the name given to a hive box is not based on its size but on its contents. The main section of a hive is the brood nest of bees. In the brood chamber, the queen bee spends most of her time laying eggs in each empty cell. Worker bees, called nurse bees tend the larvae in the .brood area. When the larvae are large enough, the worker bees will cover the cell with a brood cap. Once covered, the larvae create a cocoon to transform into a pupa. Once fully developed the young bees chew through the brood cap to join the colony. Since this box is dedicated to growing bees, it’s called a brood box.
Most beekeepers use a deep box for the brood box simply because it provides the most space for the colony to build a nest. Typically the main hive body won’t be moved or lifted from its perch, so a deep brood box works well for most beekeepers. If you purchase bees in nucleus colonies or a nuc, the bees will come on deep frames. Using deep boxes will make adding those frames to your colony easier. However, there are no rules, more and more beekeepers are choosing to use only medium boxes for all parts of the hive. If a medium box fits your needs better, a medium box can be used as a brood box.
How Many Brood Boxes Are Needed?
As a new beekeeper, your hive will consist of a single brood box. The goal of a first-year beekeeper is to grow a healthy bee colony! If you live in a more temperate climate, your bees will need all the resources they collect to survive the winter months. As your colony matures and fills the space in its first brood box, additional boxes are added to a Langstroth hive. Most beekeepers follow the 7 to 10 Rule, which means when 7 of the 10 frames are full, meaning 70% to 80% of the hive is full, it’s time to add a new frame box.
As a colony grows beekeepers can provide their bees with a second brood box. This allows the queen more space to lay eggs and build the colony. If your brood box is especially full and you find queen cells on the brood frames, that may be a sign that the bees need more space. Likely they are preparing the colony to receive a new queen so that they can swarm. A colony that has plenty of room to expand and does not feel crowded will be less likely to seek a larger space.
Room to Expand, But Not Too Much
It’s important to add boxes based on your observations of the hive’s growth. Adding boxes too quickly will stress the colony, as they must build additional honeycomb and defend the space from pests. If you have access to frames with honeycomb, that will allow the bees to settle in more quickly, having to only repair the honeycomb and clean it, not build it from scratch.
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What Size Box is Added?
Some beekeepers like to keep brood in only deep hive bodies. This makes it easier to manage bees from hive to hive by having a standardized system within your apiary. However, keep in mind the second brood box will be moved more often to allow access to the bottom of the hive. Due to the weight of deep boxes, some beekeepers choose to use a medium box for the second brood box. It’s really up to you! Either a deep box or medium box can be added for brood in the top box, remember the box is defined by its contents, not its size!
Some beekeepers choose to use only medium boxes within their apiary because they can’t or don’t want to lift heavy deep boxes. Three medium boxes can provide the same space as two deep boxes but will weigh significantly less. However, remember you will need more equipment. Two 10-frame hives will use 20 frames, while three 10-frame hives will need 30 frames.
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What’s a Super?
The final term that is commonly used regarding hive boxes is called a super. Hive boxes that are dedicated to storing honey are called supers. Most beekeepers use medium boxes separated from the brood boxes using a queen excluder.
Honey is very heavy! Medium supers can weigh 45 pounds less than deep supers. For those looking to reduce the weight even further, some beekeepers choose to use shallows for their honey supers. Shallow supers are only 1″ shorter in height but they can weigh 15 pounds lighter than a medium box.
Building Your Apiary
While there are standard box sizes commonly used for certain aspects of Langstorth hives, it’s really up to you what size boxes you choose. Some beekeepers like to standardize their equipment, dedicating deep boxes to brood and medium boxes to honey. Your ability to lift and move heavy boxes as well as how much equipment you choose to keep on hand will likely dictate your choices. Here at Kowalski Mountain, Philip likes a bargain! We have purchased most of our beekeeping equipment used which means we have an assortment of sizes of boxes in both 8-frame hives and 10-frame hives. While buying used certainly helps us save money in today’s marketplace, sometimes we have to be creative to make it all fit together to accomplish the task at hand.
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About the Author: Barbra-Sue Kowalski grew up on a small hobby farm. She was always drawn to farm life, however, she was stuck in an urban life far from her roots. Barbra-Sue was a single mom for 13 years, raising her 3 children on her own. She met Philip in 2018 and they married in 2021. Between the two of them, they have 5 grown children and 5 grandchildren. These empty nesters are following their dreams! As they both turn 50, they are building their off-grid homestead to live the life that they dream about. Learn more about Philip and Barbra-Sue here. Contact them here. To leave a comment on this post, please scroll down.
