slatted rack top?

[BjornBee]

I had the opportunity to see a top that was also a slatted rack. The top was made with metal as a standard telescoping cover would be. But the top also fit on the supers, with the same size outer demensions. So it was not telescoping.

It also has a slatted rack built into the top on a permanent basis. This slatted rack just basically allowed the bees to enter into a 2 to 3 inch dead space above the slatted rack but under the top.

I know beekeeping equipment takes on alot of variations over time with much "home-made" pieces and experimentation attempts. Was this something promoted within the industry years ago? I had never seen one untill yesterday.

I though the bees would just build comb into this unaccessable area above the slatted rack and make a mess. Was this the down fall? Or was this just some wild piece of equipment some individual attempted himself without it going much further?

Comments? Thank you.

[thorbue]

Could it be former slatted bottom racks, that has been rebuild for the use as tops...? - just a guess...

[ December 27, 2006, 03:05 AM: Message edited by: thorbue ]

[BjornBee]

No doubt it looks like a standard slatted rack. But it was taken and built into the top to be permanant. The way it was built, there is no way it was to be removed or seperated from the top.

I just have never seen it constructed this way.

[BjornBee]

I see what you thought thorbue. Was it someone just using it as a needed top(?)
No. The top is still intact and this part was built onto the top. So there is a distinguishable top, connect to the added on slatted rack.

The metal top comes down a good part of the sides, and covers part of the slatted rack wood also. So they were not meant to be seperated.

[thorbue]

Well I thought, I was so clever with this one.... :cool:

It look as if I wasn't - and that this top wasn't either..... :D

[ December 27, 2006, 06:25 AM: Message edited by: thorbue ]

[BjornBee]

Your guess and comments were better than anyone elses at this point! ;)

[iddee]

Bjorn, Keith posted the following on another thread. Could your lid be for this purpose? It sounds like it would be for a gathering place for the bees. Maybe to catch a lb. or two without smoke?

>>>Take a new, shallow knocked down super, on the two long sides of the super pieces, with a table saw, cut a 3/8" deep slot every 1 1/2 inches across the super. Put the super together with the knotches going to the inside of the super. Then take some thin panneling (hardware store), cut down to 6 5/8 inches tall and length wise to fit into your saw blade groves you made on the long pieces. Glue and slide panneling into your groves. It should look like a super and about a dozen slats running crossways through the super. Then cut some hardware cloth (that the bees can't get through) on top of your super, cut some small strips and staple them around the top of your super with the screen inbetween, this holds your screen on.
How it works:
Take a box of bees to shake, take off the lid, put a queen excluder on top, put your shallow super shaker box on top of that, then with menthol in your smoker, smoke the intrance of the hive. It will take some practice, but you should with no problem, on a decent hive, put 5-8 lbs of bees in your shallow super shaking box. Then take the box off, bump into a bulk cage or funnel for packages or whatever your going to do with the bees.<<<

[BjornBee]

iddee, it may very well be. I'll hold back my comments on such a piece of equipment, which I don't favor.

I really don't think this is what it is, but the possibility is there.