[Logan]

A little background: I am starting a few new colonies this year, and ordered some 8 frame equipment, including several 8 frame slatted racks to go on top of my bottom boards. Then, I read Michael Bush's site and decided to go with a top entrance. I modified my bottom boards so that the bees can't get in them and am planning to use a shim to lift the cover a little so they get in. This will work nicely with the top mounted pollen trap I plan to use, as the bees should (theoretically) get used to it quicker.

My question is what to do with the slatted racks? I'm thinking I can put them on top of the hive, upside down, and they might work the same as they do on the bottom. Will this work? If not, are there any other thoughts on what to do with them?

Thanks,

--Logan

 

[kbfarms]

You can send them to me

 

[Joseph Clemens]

You could probably install slatted racks as you describe, but I use my slatted racks above my screened bottom boards (which are not entrances for bees but just for air), below my brood supers, this gives the bees additional space to cluster and helps them maintain brood temperature to the very bottom edge of the bottom frames of the brood supers. I also use vertical slatted racks on the inside walls of my brood supers, but not my honey supers.

 

[Logan]

You can send them to me

I'll keep that in mind if installing them as described doesn't work!

 

[Omie]

Just a quick question-
I 'think' slatted racks are put on with their inner 'space' created facing down, correct? In other words, when properly placed, the slats themselves will be towards the top of the rack, with the larger space underneath them. Is this right? At least that's how i did it last year.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Omie, I'm not exactly sure what you are describing about the orientation of slatted racks. I've never even seen any, in person, that I hadn't built myself. I've designed and built them in many different configurations and even built some out of PVC tubing. I've built others with slats from side-to-side, some with slats end-to-end, some with wide slats, some with narrow slats, and some with wide slats where the wide slats are oriented with the widest part vertical, and others with multiple combinations of slat orientation.

 

[Omie]

Here is the type of slatted rack i am referring to:
http://www.beesource.com/files/slatrack.pdf
They say 'with the wide slat UP and to the front of the hive'....so I think that means the slats are towards the top instead of flipping the rack upside down so the slats are more towards the bottom of the whole rack.

 

[berkshire bee]

Omie, That's right wide board toward fron of hive, slats on top surface with space on the bottom