Brood Box Systems

The variety of National bee hive boxes allows different Brood Systems to be used.

A brood system is simply the choice or combination of brood boxes used in a bee hive.

Brood boxes are the boxes used to provide space for the queen to lay her eggs and for the colony to rear its brood - they can be any depth or combination of depths. This is a matter of personal choice, there is not a right or wrong way.

We supply our National Bee Hive Beginners Kit with a Standard Deep brood box - this is the most versatile and allows any brood system to be subsequently used.

Normally for a nucleus colony starting its first year, 1 Standard Deep box is enough space for the brood a queen will produce but in its second year it will be a full colony and 1 Standard Deep box will not be enough. Additional space for brood can be provided in different ways or systems, none of which suits everyone. 

 

Brood and a Half System.

This is 1 Standard Deep Box + 1 Standard Shallow Box.

Additional Standard Shallow and/or Extra Shallow boxes are added for honey stores.

Many colony and swarm management techniques require more than one brood box of the same depth so frames can be moved between boxes which is not possible with this system.

 

Double Brood System.

This is 2 Standard Deep Boxes.

Additional Standard Shallow and/or Extra Shallow boxes are added for honey stores.

 

One Size Box System.

This can be either 2 Standard Deep Boxes or 3 Standard Shallow Boxes.

As the name suggests, additional boxes of the same size are added for honey stores.

 

Extra Deep Box also known as a Deep Brood or Jumbo or 14x12 System.

The Extra Deep box can also be made from 1 Standard Deep Box + 1 Extra Shallow Box.

Additional Standard Shallow and/or Extra Shallow boxes are added for honey stores.