Last updated: August 21, 2026
Two deeps for the brood nest with mediums on top is the setup most beekeeping books describe, and it works. All mediums, every box the same height from the bottom board to the lid, is the setup a lot of experienced backyard keepers quietly switched to somewhere around year three, usually after a July afternoon spent moving full deeps in the heat.
The decision is not about honey or bee health, because bees do fine either way. It is about lifting math, how many frames you have to buy and assemble, and one compatibility problem that catches people out when they go to buy bees. Here is the whole trade, laid out before you order woodenware you will own for a decade.
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Quick Answer
Should you run all mediums or deeps and supers?
- A medium is about two thirds the height of a deep, so roughly three mediums hold what two deeps hold.
- All mediums means one frame size to buy, assemble, store and swap anywhere in the hive.
- Deeps mean fewer boxes to lift off during an inspection and a brood nest the bees do not have to split across a joint.
- Most nucleus colonies are sold on deep frames, which is the compatibility catch in an all medium yard.
Bottom line: all mediums wins on weight and simplicity, deeps win on box count and on buying bees, and you must decide before you buy frames.
The Height Math
A standard deep stands 9 5/8 inches tall and a medium 6 5/8 inches, so a medium is close to two thirds of a deep. Three mediums stack to slightly more volume than two deeps, which is why the usual all medium brood nest is three boxes where the conventional setup uses two. The comb area works out very close.
Weight follows volume. A full medium is meaningfully lighter than a full deep of the same width, and it is lighter in a way you notice at the end of a long inspection rather than at the start of one. Full figures get quoted in a wide range because moisture, wood and fill level all move them, so the ratio is the number to trust.
What All Mediums Actually Buys You
One frame size. That is the headline, and it is bigger than it sounds. Every frame in your yard fits every box, so a frame of brood can go anywhere, a spare box is a spare box regardless of where it came from, and you assemble, wax and store exactly one type of frame instead of two.
It also simplifies equalizing colonies. Moving a frame of capped brood from a strong hive into a struggling one is one of the most useful interventions a backyard keeper has, and in a mixed deep and medium yard you are constantly finding that the frame you want is the wrong height for the box you want it in.
The Cost of More Boxes
The same colony occupies more boxes, so a full inspection means lifting more of them off and setting them down somewhere. You also buy and assemble more frames overall for the same comb area, since a medium frame holds less than a deep one. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are real work.
The Nuc Problem Nobody Mentions First
Most nucleus colonies in the United States are sold as five deep frames in a deep nuc box. If your yard is all mediums, those frames do not fit anything you own. Beekeepers solve this every season, but every solution is a nuisance you should know about before you commit.
The common workarounds are buying a package instead of a nuc, running one deep box on that hive purely as a landing zone for the nuc frames and phasing it out later, or finding a supplier who sells nucs on medium frames, which some do. Our comparison of package bees and nucs goes through what each start costs you in time, and a nuc box in your own frame size is worth owning either way.
What the Bees Think
Bees keep their brood nest as a rough sphere and they do not respect box joints, so an all medium brood nest simply means the nest spans three boxes instead of two. Colonies overwinter successfully in both configurations across the country, and neither arrangement makes a colony healthier on its own.
The one practical difference is that every joint between boxes is a place where the bees build a little bridge comb and where you break the nest apart during inspection. More boxes means more of those joints. Against that, lighter boxes make you more willing to actually go into the brood nest, and inspections that happen are worth more than inspections you avoid.
The Two Setups Compared
Both setups are standard, both are supported by every supplier, and both are used by successful backyard beekeepers. The table below is the shape of the decision rather than a verdict.
| Setup | Lifting | Frames to stock | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| All mediums | Lightest boxes, more of them | One size, fits everywhere | Keepers working alone, anyone with a bad back |
| Two deeps plus mediums | Heaviest boxes, fewer of them | Two sizes to buy and store | Keepers who buy nucs, and anyone with help on harvest day |
| Deeps throughout | Heavy in every position | One size, but the heavy one | Rarely chosen by backyard keepers |
| Shallows for honey | Lightest supers of all | A third frame size | Comb honey and keepers who want minimum super weight |
Switching Later
You can convert from deeps to all mediums, and plenty of people have, but it happens over a season or two rather than in a weekend. The usual route is to stop buying deep frames, add mediums above, and let the queen move up as the old deep comb ages out and gets rotated away.
Because it is slow, it is worth thinking about now. Woodenware lasts a very long time, so the boxes you buy in your first spring are likely to still be in the yard in ten years. Whichever way you go, the harvesting gear is the same at the other end of the season, which our honey harvesting equipment guide lays out in order, and the starter kit guide covers what to buy first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many mediums equal two deeps? Three mediums come out very close to two deeps in comb area, which is why the standard all medium brood nest is three boxes rather than two.
Is an all medium hive better for beginners? It is easier to lift and simpler to stock, which suits a beginner working alone. The catch is that most nucleus colonies come on deep frames, so plan how you will hive your bees before you order boxes.
Can you mix deep and medium boxes in one hive? Yes, that is the conventional setup: deeps for brood and mediums above for honey. The only cost is stocking two frame sizes that cannot be swapped between boxes.
Do bees mind a brood nest split across three boxes? No. Bees treat the boxes as one cavity and build the nest through them. You simply break the nest apart at one more joint during inspections.
Which is better for winter? Colonies winter in both. What matters is the amount of stores above and around the cluster and the condition of the colony going in, not the height of the boxes it lives in.
What about shallow supers? Shallows are the lightest option for honey and popular for comb honey, at the cost of introducing a third frame size to buy and store.
The Bottom Line
Run all mediums if you value one frame size and a box you can lift at the end of a hot afternoon; run deeps under mediums if you want fewer boxes in the stack and you plan to buy nucs on deep frames. Decide before the first frame order, because switching later is a two season project. Read eight or ten frame hives next for the other weight lever, and the Langstroth hive explained box by box for how the stack fits together.