# Slatted Racks?



## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

years ago there was a commercial beekeeper named norm sharp that used them. one year a load of bees headed to new England broke down in hot weather. he said if he had not had the slatted racks he would have lost the whole load. It gave extra cluster room in the hive. we take bees to south Carolina and feel it helps reduce swarming. the book honey in the comb by killon was one of the first to use them large scale. plans are in the book. don't know about the store bought ones.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

You remember Norm? I do.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

I have 5 or 6 of them & can't figure out weather or not they do any good. They don't do any harm.
Brushy Mountain ones are cheap & easy to assemble.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

I've got them on almost all of my hives (23) and they seem to cut down on the bearding in hot weather. This is the first year I put them on. I made mine using plans from Tony Pisano's book, Build Your Own Beekeeping Equipment. I adjusted the measurements a little to match my equipment. His width was 1/2" narrower than my boxes. The hives without them beard up a lot more than the hives with the racks. You would need a router (and probably a router table), skil saw, and/or a table saw.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

mike ya I remember norm. that was when paul cappy was his hired man. whoda thought? we talked a few years ago at a pa state meeting. todd hardie used to work for me. I think I just showed my age. lol


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

beeware10 said:


> we take bees to south Carolina and feel it helps reduce swarming


Hi,
Where in SC?
Larry


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

loris


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## CtyAcres (Apr 8, 2012)

blackandtan- slatted racks are as good or better than advertised. Beeware10 hit the nail on the head with Killion brothers, that
rack is easy to make and almost free if you have scrap lumber. Dr. Miller used them extensively also. The ones in the supply stores
are not the same and don't work as well, I feel. You do need a 2" solid bottom board to use with them, and an added feature is bottom
feeding with little to no robbing, just pull out the rack and feed from the bottom by reducing or closing off bottom entrance.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

beeware10 said:


> mike ya I remember norm. that was when paul cappy was his hired man. whoda thought? we talked a few years ago at a pa state meeting. todd hardie used to work for me. I think I just showed my age. lol


Yep. And the fact that you had Todd Hardie work for you...what does that tell ya?  He worked for me, too. One of the very few I ever fired.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

beeware10 said:


> loris


Buster's home town.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

beeware10 said:


> mike ya I remember norm. that was when paul cappy was his hired man. whoda thought? we talked a few years ago at a pa state meeting. todd hardie used to work for me. I think I just showed my age. lol


Who hasn't TH worked for?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Michael Palmer said:


> Yep. And the fact that you had Todd Hardie work for you...what does that tell ya?  He worked for me, too. One of the very few I ever fired.


Oh, wow. Priceless.


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## smokymoutainbeekeeper (Jun 21, 2014)

I am a new beek and was given a slatted rack to borrow in the Spring and noticed less bearding on the one hive on which I had a slatted rack. After researching it more, I decided that slats parallel to the frames would be better, especially if you use SBB. In my research I found plans in this PDF file (about 9 pages down): http://www.workman.com/static/assets/622059_Beekeep.EquipSamplePgsV2.pdf
I then built several of them and put them on my hives and plan to put them on my new hives next year.
If interested, I videoed cutting out the pieces for the slatted rack and then another video assembling the rack. Both videos are on youtube, but if you watch them, I am not a professional videographer nor editor but hopefully they are informative


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## northbee (Apr 16, 2009)

You do need a 2" solid bottom board to use with them, and an added feature is bottom
feeding with little to no robbing, just pull out the rack and feed from the bottom by reducing or closing off bottom entrance.[/QUOTE]

Do you mean a bottom board with a 2" rim? Are you feeding syrup or dry sugar? 

Thanks


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## blackandtan (Aug 20, 2014)

I was planning on just buying one from Brushy Mountain. Are you guys saying that those are not as effective?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

As effective as what, blackandtan?


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I bought them but I also use constant natural mite drop counts and the slats never fell exactly under the seams so they messed up my counts. 

Now I just use them to set brood boxes and supers down on when I'm inspecting.

But I still liked the theoretical idea of some a kind of draft skirt under the bottom-most box to manage the hive temp envionment/ reduce bearding., etc. Last Fall when I was assembling my stack for the winter I decided to insert a 1.5" shim under the botton-most box as a winter-season draft skirt. I thought it worked well and have left it on ever since. My queens seem to lay right down to the lower edge of the frames and on hot days the bees festoon down into this space. I don't get comb drawn below them so that's not an issue.

Enj.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I used to use slatted racks below my cell builder colonies. Helped to insulate the cells from the cold bottom of the hive. Now I use a partly filled honey super.


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## CtyAcres (Apr 8, 2012)

Northbee- Yes a 2" rim. Use dry sugar, slab of comb honey, tray of honey or syrup to feed. Reduce or close bottom entr.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

With the brushy mountain one you can adjust the slats wherever you want them when you assemble it.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

So it the popular vote that it does help bearding?

Reason I am asking is I have been hit multiple times now by aerial mosquito control. They spray within the legal window and it sure seems that I loss most the bees on the outside of the hive. I am talking with them about getting the plane to skip my place, but going slow. I figure if the bees are not bunched on the outside bearding but maybe in the slotted bottom, I would not lose as many foragers and the hive would do better.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

In my climate conditions the slatted racks do not help bearding as much as screened bottom boards. Keith Delaplane did a study as to whether the racks helped with honey production and swarming (?) and his findings showed no benefit.


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## smokymoutainbeekeeper (Jun 21, 2014)

Although I am just a first year beek, my experience with 2 hives sitting within 6 feet of each other - one with a bottom slatted rack and the other without, both have SBB. The hive with the slatted rack had visibly much less bearding then the hive without the rack. After several weeks of a lot of bearding on my other hive, I decided to build one with some scrap wood I had in the workshop. I built this one closer to the plans I found online which provided a "deeper" air cushion area below the racks and within a day or so, the bearding all but disappeared.

But this is just my experience during my first season and only with just 2 hives. I did not have enough hives to do a real scientific comparison study - that would be interesting, however.

You may just want to buy a slatted rack, but if you are interested in the woodworking aspect of it, a slatted rack is pretty fun to build. Here is a video of me cutting the pieces for the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8GWLgT2kXM there is a followup video of the assembly of the pieces for a completed rack


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

I am looking at these only try to help to reduce bearding. No other reason. If they work to do that, they are worth my time to construct. Was going to do it this winter and just never got around to it. 

But I wanted to ask, if reducing bearding was the only reason to build these, do folks see a reason for the deck board. I am considering running the slats end to end with no deck. Anyone see concerns? Thanks


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## smokymoutainbeekeeper (Jun 21, 2014)

I am not sure what the results would be without the front deck board. I am not sure what the exact design criteria was when the original person designed it. It certainly would be a good experiment. I would think that the deck board would act as a type of air baffeling system which could be the main reason for reduced bearding. Good question! I look forward to other's reply as well


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Reduced bearding is the main reason to use them. The deck board cuts cold air drafts from coming into the hive which allows the queen to lay all the way to the bottom of the frames. I have read that slatted racks help reduce swarming. Since most of my hives this year were last years swarms, I can't say for sure that slatted racks reduce swarming (they do reduce congestion which is one cause of swarming) but even the older hives haven't started swarm prep yet and all my hives have slatted racks. I would build with the deck board on the rack. Just my thoughts.


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## m1ke05 (Jul 16, 2014)

I've got slatted racks and SBB on both my hives. I didn't notice any bearding last year after I put them on. Ran them all winter and managed to over winter both my hives with no moisture problems. Can't say for sure if they help with swarming. I would imagine proper hive management is the only way to prevent swarming.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Does anyone use slatted racks? 

Back when I had ten hives, yes. Now? No.

>Do they provide they provide the advertised benefits? 

Somewhat, yes.

>What are the downsides?

Cost and one more piece of equipment to haul around...

> Are the benefits I'm reading about worth the cost?

On a few hives, yes. On a lot of hives? Probably not unless you're doing comb honey and want to crowd them up more.

>So it the popular vote that it does help bearding?

Yes. But is bearding really a problem? Or is that just our perception?


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Bearding is a problem in my location, especially during the May through July when it continues into the night. The county mosquito control flies over and sprays malathion to control the mosquitos. Everything on the outside of the hive gets hit and I lose all the bees on the outside plus it sure seems like some inside the hive. 

So I am looking for a solution to get the bees to stay inside. They are not seeming to be doing lots of fanning just clustered like there is no room But will investigate some top entrances as well to see if that helps.

Thanks


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> I am looking for a solution to get the bees to stay inside. 

A slatted rack will definitely help with that.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I read the wider piece of wood on these stops them from chewing on the comb? why would they do that? 
Also couldn't these be incorporated into the hive body as one piece if I was going to use year round?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I read the wider piece of wood on these stops them from chewing on the comb? why would they do that? 

I would say it helps the queen to lay all the way to the front on a hive with a bottom entrance. That indirectly will keep them from chewing the foundation down that they wouldn't using otherwise.

>Also couldn't these be incorporated into the hive body as one piece if I was going to use year round?

I don't like things attached to my boxes. What if I want to move the bottom box up? Dump the dead off the bottom board? Look at the bottom of the frames for queen cells?


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I don't like things attached to my boxes. What if I want to move the bottom box up? Dump the dead off the bottom board? Look at the bottom of the frames for queen cells?[/QUOTE]

I meant that every deep would be 1.5 inches taller with this built into the bottom of it. Sides would be one piece not seperatable. Yes agree would not allow bottom inspections but wondered if the cooling effects of it would be beneficial on every deep. less energy expended moderating temperature = less food used and more bee power to do other things? thought this could be used with a standard bottom board allow bee removal? maybe I'm missing something


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Michael Bush said:


> > I am looking for a solution to get the bees to stay inside.
> 
> A slatted rack will definitely help with that.


Thanks


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I meant that every deep would be 1.5 inches taller with this built into the bottom of it. Sides would be one piece not seperatable. Yes agree would not allow bottom inspections but wondered if the cooling effects of it would be beneficial on every deep. less energy expended moderating temperature = less food used and more bee power to do other things? thought this could be used with a standard bottom board allow bee removal? maybe I'm missing something

You don't put one on every box. The original way the rack was done was to build a deep bottom board and slide the rack into the hive on the deep bottom board in the spring until fall and pulled it out in winter. The rack just rested on the extra deep bottom:

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/KillionSlattedRack.jpg

I see no point in the screened bottom as far as Varroa, so I see no reason to try to get the slats in line below the frames.


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