alternative uses for slatted racks?

[hoosierhiver]

has anyone played around with slatted racks much,used them in unusual ways?

[John Seets]

I'm considering dadoing out the area on one side of the end of the rack upto the depth of the slats. This would server as the entrance for the bees. Bottom board entrance: I would secure mite mesh to the sides and back rails of the bottom board. This would create 3/4" space between the bottom of the bottom board and the mesh. At the front of the hive the screen would angle down to the bottom of the bottom board (and secured there) creating a ramp up to the new entrance dadoed out in the slatted rack. It's tough to clearly describe this without pictures.
What do you think?

Thanx.

[Michael Bush]

Sounds like it would work. If you're making your own slatted rack, you could make it 3/4" deeper because you're giving up 3/4" doing the screen.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I am planning to use top entrances, (mid-hive with supers on), this year. Your idea for the slatted racks has a lot of merrit, I have a couple that I was wondering what to do with. I would incorporate a sticky board in the plan for varroa checks and easier cleaning of bottom boards.

Just what I needed, another project...

Bill

[Michael Bush]

I would think a slatted rack would be perfect for middle entrace (with a few modifications for bee space. But if you have 3/8" to the frames above above and 3/8" to the top bars below you'd have all of the openings in the slats to move down or up and it would break up the top and bottom enough that the queen would a little less likely to move up past it.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I think for a mid-hive entrance it would be a burr comb nightmare. I am sure that is why the ones I bought commercially have a box built into them.
Bill

[Michael Bush]

Could be. I get enough on queen excluders no matter how I do them.

[odfrank]

I put sixteen hives on screened pallets, which serve as the bottom board, two hives a pallet. Two 3/8" tall X 3"wide slots cut into the bottom edge of the slatted rack, which sits atop the screen, serve as the entrance to the hives.

I have been trying to train the bees to exit on the right and enter on the right as to set up more efficient one way traffic, but have so far been unsuccessful.

[hoosierhiver]

i read that if you paint one entrance a dark color,they will use that one for entry,but mine seem to have their own ideas.