[jrannestad]

I was given some beekeeping equipment that came from my wife's grandfather and which he probably used at least 50 years ago. See picture. It's the only ones I have experience with. I was wondering if the new modern excluders are better and whether bees are more inclined to pass through them. I also have two types. One has less metal bars between the wooden divider slats than the other. Why is that. Are they used for different circumstances?

 

[Gray Goose]

those are cool , plenty good shape to use, the lower one looks like an inner cover, in the pre plywood era. or a mouse guard for the bottom? not sure.

I have several of the excluders you show very much rotted wood I took them apart, plan to make the wood parts to make excluders for my 5 frame NUCs.
Someday!!

GG

 

[little_john]

Very nice bits of kit - I'd be happy using those without question ...

Would I be right in assuming that the wooden slats are only on one side ?
LJ

 

[Michael Palmer]

Old Root excluders. The bottom excluder is a 3-wire. The top is a 7-wire. Good excluders...have less burr comb buildup. I have some of each I "inherited" from an old beekeeper who was a Root dealer. I still use the 7-wire excluders for a queen bank.

The excluders were falling apart, and for years I thought I would rebuild some. Finally did it last winter...got SO sick of making bee boxes. Took some time to sort it but here is the result....


https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/...+wire+excluder+reconstruct+1.jpg?format=1500w

 

[clyderoad]

Nice rebuild. Looks like you used pine?

I like these excluders very much as well and have a bunch. Wish I had more of them.
How do you place them on the hive? cross-wires facing down or up?

 

[jrannestad]

Thank you for the information. Thats a nice rebuild.

Regarding the wood slats and whether they are full depth, they are one solid piece of wood and extend from the topside of the excluder to the bottom side. The metal bars are embedded in the wood slats and hold the rods. See pic of each side.

 

[jrannestad]

Another question: do they go on the box flat side down or recessed side down? I have been assuming flat side down like they tell you to install an inner cover.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Nice rebuild. Looks like you used pine? How do you place them on the hive? cross-wires facing down or up?

View attachment 55659

Yes, white pine. Chose straight grained pieces to work with. The wood slats are recessed on one side. That side goes up

 

[minz]

Old Root excluders. The bottom excluder is a 3-wire. The top is a 7-wire. Good excluders...have less burr comb buildup. I have some of each I "inherited" from an old beekeeper who was a Root dealer. I still use the 7-wire excluders for a queen bank.

The excluders were falling apart, and for years I thought I would rebuild some. Finally did it last winter...got SO sick of making bee boxes. Took some time to sort it but here is the result....


https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/...+wire+excluder+reconstruct+1.jpg?format=1500w

looks like a lot of joinery! The ends are different lengths and cuts. At first I thought that you ripped some of the laminate flooring to strips.
Nice work, you will have to put it on the outside so everybody can see-LOL

 

[Michael Palmer]

The slats...ends?...are the same length. Pine planed down to the proper thickness. Each slat has a thin tenon that fits into grooves on the front and back rails. They also have a groove on each side to accept the excluder panels. Most difficult part was assembly. Getting all the parts into their proper groove, without the far side falling apart...we’ll...grrr!

 

[jrannestad]

Very intricate piece of work with the joints in the corners, at the end of every wood slat and those little grooves at the end of every cross bar, which there are many. If you can fix that you can fix anything. I threw a broken one out last year because I foresaw how difficult it would be, and I hardly ever throw anything out that can be fixed.