What Are Honey Super Frames And How Many Are Needed Per Box? A Beekeeper's Essential Guide

To put it simply, honey super frames are the removable structures that go inside a honey super box, providing the foundation for bees to build honeycomb and store honey. For a standard honey super, you will need 10 frames that match the size of the box, whether it is a medium or a shallow super.

The core principle is straightforward: the honey super is a dedicated box for collecting harvestable honey, and the frames provide the internal structure. The size of the frame must always match the size of the super box it goes into.

What are honey super frames and how many are needed per box? A Beekeeper's Essential Guide

The Purpose of a Honey Super

A Dedicated Space for Honey

A honey super is a box added to the top of a beehive specifically for the collection of surplus honey. Beekeepers add these boxes during a "honey flow"—a period when nectar is abundant.

The honey stored in these supers is what the beekeeper intends to harvest, while the honey in the lower boxes is left for the bees to consume.

Separating Honey from Brood

Honey supers are placed above the main brood boxes, which are the larger boxes at the bottom of the hive where the queen lays her eggs and the colony raises its young.

This separation ensures that the honey for harvest is kept clean and separate from the brood-rearing activities of the hive. A screen-like device called a queen excluder is often placed between the brood boxes and the honey supers to prevent the queen from laying eggs in the honeycombs.

Sizing Frames to Your Super

The Role of the Frame

Frames are the essential inserts that fit inside the super. They provide the structure onto which the bees draw out wax comb. It is within the cells of this comb that they store nectar and ripen it into honey.

Sizing for Medium Supers

If you are using a medium super for honey collection, you will need 10 medium frames to properly fill the box. This is the most common configuration.

Sizing for Shallow Supers

Likewise, if you are using a shallow super, which is shorter than a medium, you will need 10 shallow frames for each box.

Avoiding a Critical Mismatch

The Rule of Matching Components

It is absolutely critical that the size of the frame matches the size of the super. You cannot use medium frames in a shallow super, or vice versa.

Why Mismatches Don't Work

Beekeeping equipment is built with precise dimensions to maintain what is known as "bee space." Using the wrong size frames will either leave large, unusable gaps or make the frames impossible to fit, disrupting the colony and making hive inspections difficult.

Selecting the Correct Frames for Your Super

To ensure your equipment functions correctly, follow these simple guidelines.

If you are using a medium honey super: You must purchase 10 medium-sized frames for each box.
If you are using a shallow honey super: You must purchase 10 shallow-sized frames for each box.
When ordering new equipment: Always double-check that your super boxes and frames share the same size designation (e.g., all "medium" or all "shallow").

Matching your frames to your supers is the first step toward a successful honey harvest.

Summary Table:

Super Box Type	Frame Size Needed	Quantity Needed Per Box
Medium Super	Medium Frames	10
Shallow Super	Shallow Frames	10

Ready to equip your apiary for a bountiful harvest?

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