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Author Topic: What a difference the slatted rack makes!  (Read 11615 times)

Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« on: June 22, 2006, 01:04:59 am »
Well, I'm a believer.  I put a slatted rack on one hive and not on the other.  The second hive's rack came broken and the replacement just arrived today.  I'll put it on this weekend.

Here's the hive at 11:40 PM without the slatted rack:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6269/2875/640/DSC01295.jpg

Here's the other hive at 11:40 PM WITH the slatted rack

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6269/2875/640/DSC01296.jpg

Granted, they both have beards, but the one with the rack used to be the largest and now it is much thinner and more spread out.  I've done everything I know of to ventilate - propped the top, SBB, room in the super and now slatted rack.  Since beards go with this hot drought we are having in Atlanta, I'm not too worried, but I'm a believer going forward in the slatted rack -

Thanks, Brian, TWT and others for the encouragement to go this direction.

Linda T in Atlanta
where it is 82 degrees at midnight with a high tomorrow expected of 97 - never knew I would care so much about the weather.

Offline TwT

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2006, 11:25:19 am »
tillie, nice pic's, a SBB works wonders also if you ever want to try them out....I have SBB and BB and use the slatted racks on the BB.... give them a try one day...
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2006, 12:55:56 pm »
Yes, I like the screened BB - I have that on both hives as well.  I have tried everything to provide more ventilation.  

I have the top propped up with a stick on both hives and the bees tend to use it as a backdoor.

I have a screened bottom board on both hives and above it the slatted rack on the one hive, but I'll add a SR to the other hive tomorrow when I'm not working all day long.

Linda T in HOTlanta - 97 will be the high today!   And no rain.

Offline TwT

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2006, 01:25:34 pm »
thats right, I forgot you already had SBB's... ;)
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline Jerrymac

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2006, 01:33:46 pm »
Linda T in HOTlanta,

It must also have something to do with the humidity and over night temps. I use only screened bottoms. No racks, No other entrances but the bottom, and I have never had bearding. The past couple of weeks have been in the 100's but we are in a dry area. Also our night time temps drop into the mid to upper 60's at night.
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Offline melliphile

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2006, 04:29:12 pm »
Just curious,  do the slats run front to back(like the frames), or side to side?
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Offline TwT

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2006, 04:53:44 pm »
Quote from: melliphile
Just curious,  do the slats run front to back(like the frames), or side to side?


the one I bought was from Betterbee, I built the others I have from the measurement from that one, it runs with the frames not across them like the older type did...
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline Brian D. Bray

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2006, 10:01:35 pm »
Redesigning the slatted rack so that the slats run the same way as the frames is best, it works very well with the SBB so that the parasites fall through.  

I recommend the slatted rack highly.  I find it one of my most versitle tools.  Swarm control, ventilation, extra room to reduce bearding, in place of a queen excluder, and as a base to set feeder cans on.
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Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2006, 12:39:20 am »
I bought mine from Betterbee and it has the racks running in line with the frames.  With the racks running in line with the frames it seems as if it will not interfere with the SBB as a Varroa mite shield.

I still have beards but the SR seems to make a difference - it's very hot and humid in Atlanta with no rain so I think beards are the order of the day no matter how I try to help the bees.

One of the two I bought came broken - looked like someone had stepped on it - and they sent a new one via Fed-Ex right away.  Here's a picture of the Betterbee slatted rack (broken, but still gives you the idea):

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6269/2875/640/DSC01145.jpg

Linda T in HOTlanta

Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2006, 10:30:58 pm »
It's a miracle!  I put the slatted rack on my second hive today.  It now has a SBB, a slatted rack, the top propped open and a completely undrawn super with no honey in the frames.  Look at the difference:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6269/2875/640/DSC01347.jpg

NO BEARD!  (And it's about 94 degrees tonight)

Linda T in HOTlanta

Offline KONASDAD

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2006, 01:08:58 pm »
Do you put the SBB on top or bottom of slatted rack?
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Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2006, 01:35:02 pm »
Below the slatted rack - the purpose of the rack is to give the bees a place to hang out - the screened bottom board does not allow the bees access to the hive, just cools the place and is a spot where the Varroa mites hopefully drop off and don't come back.  

In my hive, it's the
--hive body sitting on the slatted rack
---sitting on the screened bottom board
------sitting on the hive stand.

I'm a newbee, but I think that's about right.

Linda T in Atlanta where it's pouring rain and I'm watching bees drowning on the front porch of the hive.

Offline GTBee

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SBB
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2006, 02:14:10 pm »
I've probably missed something previously but why do you need both a screened bottom board and a slatted rack?  Why not just the SBB?

Offline thomashton

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2006, 03:22:31 pm »
Because the SBB allows for ventillation, but the slatted rack allows for extra room for the bees to hang out in and not be on the frames generating heat in the hive all the time. There are also other uses for both but this is what I believe you were getting at.
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Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2006, 03:26:05 pm »
When I only had the SBB, there were huge beards on both hives - the addition of a space in the hive for them literally to hang out makes all the difference in the coolness inside the hive.

Linda T in Atlanta

Offline MEdmonson

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2006, 03:54:42 pm »
Don't suppose anybody has a link to some plans for making these?

Offline tillie

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2006, 04:23:25 pm »
http://beemaster.com/beebbs/viewtopic.php?t=3574&highlight=slatted+rack

There is something posted here and there are others on the hive construction section of this forum.  

Linda T in ATlanta

Offline Brian D. Bray

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2006, 04:06:53 am »
Try using a 1x2 (actually 3/4 x 1 1/2) and 1 inch doweling.  Cut to the same dimensions as your width and length of your hive boxes. Space the doweling so that they run the same direction as the frames and are centered under them.  Use an frame end peice as a spacer.  If you allow 1/2 inch on each side of the hive as free space then the frames will work out to the proper number for the hive whether you're using 8 or 10 frames.  Mark the width end using a frame end peice and then mark center.  Drill holes at each center and secure doweling with screws.
Remember to allow 1/4 inch above and below the doweling for bee space.
I've found the doweling allows for a larger number of bees to congregate than square bars do.
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Offline KONASDAD

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #18 on: July 05, 2006, 09:14:47 pm »
I added my slatted botton board this week. Overnite, all the field bees stopped hanging on outside at nite and are now inside out from the torrential rains we have had. I too beleive!
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Online Michael Bush

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What a difference the slatted rack makes!
« Reply #19 on: July 05, 2006, 10:56:37 pm »
I have a lot of them and have always liked them, but I never got the slatted racks cut down to eight frame size yet...
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