# what is a 10 frame slotted rack for



## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

I have slotted racks on all of my hives..... It basically gives the bees some clustering space and my understanding is that it also improves ventilation.... Also gives the brood a bit more separation from air/wind drafts around the entrance....


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## Billboard (Dec 28, 2014)

Where do you exactly put the rack?


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The rack is immediately above the bottom board and is just what the other gentleman described. It helps ease the congestion that can cause swarming and helps a lot in overcoming the harm caused by Screened Bottom Boards.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

Between the bottom brood box and the bottom board.....


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

What are the chances that I have the only hexagon slatted rack in the history of bee hive construction?


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

That is a thing of beauty! How did you like your octagonal hive?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I have a Octagon Warre hive, but the slatted rack is for a hexagon Hybrid Langstrogh Warre hive. Clicking on the picture will take you to the album. That hive is booming these days.


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

some of us should learn to count.


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## BeeAttitudes (Dec 6, 2014)

RudyT said:


> some of us should learn to count.


Ha, yeah, I don't think there are 8 sides there........


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## smokymoutainbeekeeper (Jun 21, 2014)

I have made several slatted racks and actually made a video on youtube of cutting the pieces out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8GWLgT2kXM

then also the assembly of the pieces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVyOFfCSckI

Another benefit claims that the queen will lay eggs closer to the bottom of the frames because less light is now exposing the bottom rows of the frames.

I am not a professional videographer but both the video and the slatted rack were fun to make


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## BeeMoose (Oct 19, 2013)

I used slotted racks on 2 of my 3 hives this year. I had one hive swarm, yep the one without the slotted rack. Don't know if it was because of the slotted rack or not, but it makes
me think it was.

I will be adding slotted racks to all the hives I install this year.

@odfrank, that six-sided hive is amazing. The top/cover is a thing of beauty.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I made this video today, to prove the hexagon slatted rack is working.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC3EUYWREfA


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I find _slatted _racks interfere with ny constant mite drop monitoring. My hives are not consistently tidy enough to make sure comb is exactly over the slats and that there is a clear pathway down trhough the space to the sticky in the SBB below for the mites to fall. Itsa one of those things that seems like a good idea but, for me, it didn't work out that way.

However I think the concept is just dandy and I wanted to incorporate the advantages w/o the disadvantages so I just installed a slatted rack _sans_ slats, AKA as a shim. I buy mine from Betterbee and each set comes with one short side pierced by a vent hole. I like to combine two sets to make one set that has two vent holes which I use in my winter stack above the quilt box. So I had a surplus of end pieces without any holes and turned them into hole-less shims. They are mounted in the same postion under the lowest hive body, above the bottom boards.

It functions quite well, I think. Contrary to some peoples' expectations, it doesn't seem to prompt the bees to draw comb down into the void. I get a very good brood pattern right down to the bottom edge of the frame; in warm weather the bees are often festooned downward from the bars above; it provides excellent draft protection; it allows me room to insert an articulated inspection mirror when I feel like spying on my girls; it gives me a little extra space when I do OAV, so I'm less likely to bump the lower edge of the bars with the hot wand.

Now the three slatted boards I own have no real use except that I hive found them useful during inspections as platforms on which to set removed boxes full of bees. Less bee-squishing which always a good thing, but hardly worth the original cost of the boards.

If you make you own equipment you could make one, and make a blind shim like I've described, and do a side by side test. Slatted boards fall into the category of possibly useful, but not worth the hassle in my mind.

Enj.


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

Great thread, I just learned a lot. I may try a shim under my hives, over the bottom board.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

If you put it on top of the hive - slats down - and put your mt camp sugar on top of the slats it makes the best feed shim because you can remove and replace the sugar during early manipulations. When the need for feed is over you can move it to the bottom for swarm/bearding mitigation. But in my opinion it is more useful as a feed shim.

BTW a box full of undrawn frames with plastic foundation on the bottom of the stack does everything a rack does - only better.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>What are the chances that I have the only hexagon slatted rack in the history of bee hive construction?

It's the only one I've ever seen... but someone usually get obsessed about something and does one on their top bar hive, or their Warre' so probably someone did one on a hex hive... you did...


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## bigbluebee (Jul 17, 2013)

Only my second year in the hobby, but I have an observation and a question. I appears to me that a slatted bottom board would be a great place for SHB and wax moths to hide. I can see the advantage of the extra space, but how does a slatted board (or a shim) increase ventilation if you are using a solid bottom board or closed screen bottom?


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

They *are* a great place for SHB to hide for sure - lots of nooks and crannies. I don't know that they actually improve ventilation, but they give the field bees somewhere to hang out besides the brood comb or on the outside of the hive. So since bearding is reduced it seems like ventilation is improved. Maybe it is. You wouldn't have to prevent many swarms for them to be worth while. But then again I personally am not convinced that they prevent many swarms.

I have used them enough to draw my own conclusion which is that they aren't exactly a complete waste of money, but for me they aren't an essential thing either. They really do make an excellent feed shim though.

You don't see many slatted racks in pictures of commercial hives which makes me think that the smart money just keeps their money instead of buying slatted racks.


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## ChuckReburn (Dec 17, 2013)

David LaFerney said:


> BTW a box full of undrawn frames with plastic foundation on the bottom of the stack does everything a rack does - only better.


Curious if you ever see the foundation get drawn out on that bottom box?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>They *are* a great place for SHB to hide for sure - lots of nooks and crannies.

The newer style, with the bars parallel to the frame, do not have many nooks or crannies. And any nook is easily patrolled by the bees.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

@odfrank & smokeymountain: What is the function of the solid portion of the rack?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

philip.devos said:


> @odfrank & smokeymountain: What is the function of the solid portion of the rack?


To stop wind drafts.


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## xphoney (Nov 7, 2014)

odfrank said:


> I made this video today, to prove the hexagon slatted rack is working.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC3EUYWREfA


Did you patent the "Hex Plex Pagoda" name or can I use that name when referring to one if I build it.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

ChuckReburn said:


> Curious if you ever see the foundation get drawn out on that bottom box?


If they need the space they will.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

xphoney said:


> Did you patent the "Hex Plex Pagoda" name or can I use that name when referring to one if I build it.


The name Hex Hive is patented by the woman who sells it. I would want you to share half the profits from your marketing of any hive sold as the Hex Plex Pagoda. I would like to retire in the next few years, so please make haste.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

odfrank said:


> I would like to retire in the next few years, so please make haste.


Just so you all know, Ollie has more money than you can ever imagine. I've been to his mansion with his goofy Plex Pagoda hive in his front yard. I have seen his landscape operation. He would have you believe that he is some poor beekeeping hippie misfit from the 60's. Don't fall for it. :no:


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Ollie was not joking about the patent/trademark issue regarding the Hex Hive. See post #19 of this thread for details on that ...

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?281376-Newly-built-hex-hive&p=1018506#post1018506


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