Brood Boxes


Overview


Typical Langstroth Hive Parts

Brood boxes make up the brood chamber, and this is where the hive lives. It is where the queen lays her eggs and the brood is born. And during the winter, it where the hive makes its home.

The brood boxes sit above the bottom board (and the slatted rack, if you use a slatted rack).


The primary goal of the beekeeper is to always ensure the hive is strong. To do that, the honey and pollen stores in the brood chamber must be adequate for the colony to get through the winter.

How Many Boxes Make Up the Brood Chamber?

Deep
Boxes

Medium
Boxes

Number of boxes

1 - 2

1 - 3

What Size Boxes Are Used for the Brood Chamber?

Historically, the Langstroth hive was composed of one or two deep boxes for the brood chamber (see also, Langstroth box sizes), and medium boxes were used for the honey supers.

It is quite common these days to use medium boxes for the brood chamber.

Deep Boxes

Medium Boxes

  • A colony based in a single deep box can make transportation for pollination easier
  • Most bees purchased as NUCs come in deep boxes with deep frames.
  • Using medium boxes makes inventory management easier. The beekeeper need only keep medium boxes and medium frames for everything.
  • When the brood frames are rotated out (due to age), they can be replaced by frames from the honey supers.
  • If you are getting a NUC to start your hive, and want to use medium boxes, be sure ask if your source can provide the NUC in medium frames.

Is This Part Necessary?

Every Langstroth hive box must have at least one brood box.


Additional pictures of this


Usage Notes


How it Works


Notes on Making One


More Information

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Books and Papers

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