Medium boxes go by a lot of names — honey super, Illinois super, medium — but they all mean the same thing: the box above the brood nest where your bees store surplus honey. At 6 5/8 inches deep, the medium is the most common choice for 10-frame Langstroth hives, and for good reason. A full deep can push 80 lbs. A full medium runs closer to 40–50 lbs — still heavy, but actually liftable without needing a second person or a bad back the next day.

We use cypress for all our hive equipment because it holds up without much help from you. Cypress is naturally rot-resistant, dimensionally stable, and doesn't require paint to last decades outdoors. If you want to paint it, great — we offer a primed and painted option. If you don't, the wood will be fine.

Key Features

• Lighter than a deep at harvest — medium boxes run 40–50 lbs full versus 70–80 lbs for a deep, which adds up fast if you're pulling multiple supers.
• Standard 10-frame Langstroth sizing — fits any 10-frame hive and stacks with all our other 10-frame equipment.
• All-medium compatible — works as a brood box if you run a uniform-depth hive where every box shares the same dimensions.
• 7/8-inch cypress boards — thicker than budget equipment, naturally rot-resistant, and stable enough to skip paint if you prefer.
• Three assembly options — order it unassembled, assembled, or assembled and painted with UV-resistant white exterior paint.
• Feeder compatible — an empty box can surround baggie feeders, Boardman feeders, and some top feeders.

Assembly Options

Unassembled — boards cut and ready for you to put together. Good option if you want to customize paint or finish before assembling.

Assembled — we put it together so the joints hold through years of stacking and handling. You don't need to touch it before use.

Assembled, Primed, and Painted — assembled box finished with white primer and a UV-resistant exterior paint coat. Ready to run straight out of the box.

Seasonal Use

Add mediums as honey supers in late spring through summer once the brood nest is well established and nectar flow is active. Pull and extract in late summer or early fall before winter prep begins. If you're running an all-medium hive, you'll be working with these boxes year-round.

Related Reading

• Honey Supers and Brood Boxes: Explained
• What is a Honey Super?
• Should I Start With All Medium or Deep Boxes?

You May Also Need

• 10-Frame Cypress Deep 9 5/8-Inch Brood Box
• Medium Frame with Double Wax Foundation
• 10 Frame Inner Cover

Browse More

• 10-Frame Hive Parts
• All Cypress Hive Equipment