Deep or Medium Super: Which Should I Choose?
A super is any box you add to a hive, either to give the colony more room or to collect honey. Langstroth supers come in three heights: deep, medium and shallow. Apimaye makes insulated deep and medium supers for both the 10-frame Ergo hive and the 7-frame NUC hive.
Quick answer
- Choose a deep super if you want one frame size throughout the hive, or you're giving the colony more brood space.
- Choose a medium super if you're adding a honey super and want a lighter box to lift at harvest.
Deep vs. medium at a glance
| Deep super | Medium super | |
|---|---|---|
| Box height | 9-5/8 in (24.4 cm) | 6-5/8 in (16.8 cm) |
| Frame size | Deep (9-1/8 in) | Medium (6-1/4 in) |
| Weight full of honey | About 80 to 90 lb (36 to 41 kg) | About 50 to 60 lb (23 to 27 kg) |
| Best for | Brood boxes, or one frame size everywhere | Honey supers and easier lifting |
| Ergo frame options | Wood, Core or PRO | Wood or Core |
The deep super
Apimaye deep supers are the same deep boxes that come in our hive sets. Beekeepers add a deep super to give the colony a third or fourth story, or to use as a honey super. The big advantage is that every frame fits every box, so you can move frames anywhere in the hive. The downside is weight: a deep full of honey is heavy.
Apimaye deep supers have a round hole in the front with an adjustable round entrance.
The medium super
Medium supers are 6-5/8 in tall, 3 in shorter than a deep, and use shorter medium frames. Most beekeepers choose mediums for honey because a full one weighs about two-thirds as much as a full deep, about 30 lb (14 kg) less to lift on harvest day.
How to add a super
- For more brood space: stack the new box on top and latch it.
- For honey: put a queen excluder between your brood boxes and the honey super. The queen can't pass through it, so she can't lay eggs in your honey frames.
- Latching with a queen excluder: whenever a queen excluder is between two boxes, use the bottom slot of the latch to latch them together.
- When to add one: most beekeepers add a super once the bees cover most of the frames in the top box.
Can I use Apimaye supers on wooden hives?
Yes. Apimaye boxes have standard US Langstroth inner dimensions, so Ergo supers fit on top of 10-frame wooden hives and your wooden frames fit inside. They won't latch to a wooden box, but they sit securely on top.
Shop supers
Still deciding? See Which Apimaye Hive Set Should I Buy? and Which Frames Should I Use?, or contact us.