Second Hive Body, SBB, and Slatted Rack Questions

[Sean Kelly]

Hey guys!

My second deep is coming tomorrow from Mann Lake!  Got a few questions like usual.  :-)

Will I have to start feeding syrup again to help the bees draw foundation in the new frames?  I quit feeding syrup 2 weeks ago and they've been doing great.

Also, should I move any of the brood or honey frames from the old body up to the new one or just leave the new one empty and let them do the work?

On another note, I've been thinking of getting a SBB and a slatted rack. 
If I get a SBB, can I still use my old hive stand (the kind with the ramped front)?  I like the idea of the one with the drawer to check for mites, but also like my hive stand.

And does a slatted rack actually help prevent swarms like the ads say?  Wouldnt mites fall on to the slats instead of on the sticky board and catch a ride back up?  They look cool though.

Thanks again!!!

Sean Kelly

[AllanJ]

The SBB will sit on top of the hive stand.

If you get the SR from betterbee with the slats going longways instead of across, then you can line up your frames with the slats and the mites would drop straight through.

I don't know if it prevents swarming.. but it does give more space at the bottom of the hive and that would certainly aid in reducing one of the causes of swarming.

[Zoot]

Sean,

With regard to the slatted rack, I don't think there is any doubt that it aids in swarm prevention though, obviously, I cannot offer solid scientific proof, merely the observations of a dedicated hobbyist. As for mite fall - I briefly used a commercial one last year and noticed that debris collected on the square slats. The dowel slats of my racks are always clean, hence the assumption that the mites (my hives have hardly any) fall off.

I will note that when used as an excluder, I did have one instance last summer where one queen did go up to lay in the super right above the rack. Due to using only 8 frame mediums I was able to easily re-structure the hive by moving her and her brood back below the rack/excluder, further vindicating the advantages of the all medium system.

[KONASDAD]

I use SBB w/ SR on top(betterbee's since they go front to back). It definately helps w/ bearding in summer, and creates a barrier/dam for cold air in winter . The bees lay all the way across a frames front to back. Last year, I placed my new deep over the drawn deep. I didn't place frames from the lower deep into the upper as bait, but it cant hurt. I didn't feed b/c i was in heavy flow. The bees drew and filled entirely w/in ten days a full deep. They drew the frames in one week, a few more days to fill w/ brood, pollen and nectar. If you dont feed and they struggle to draw the frames, feed. I would see what they do first before feeding thsi time of year as many natural sources abound.

[SteveSC]

Referencing Brian Bray's construction of Slatted racks using dowels instead of flats - has anyone used the same idea using round stock as Brian but used 3\4" or 1" PVC instead of the wood dowels...?

I haven't priced the wood but I'd say the PVC would be cheaper. You could counter sink some 3\4" or 1" dia. holes ( whatever is needed - not sure if that's an OD or an ID on PVC ) about 1\2" deep on the front and back pieces of wood to except ( glue in place ) PVC and then attach the sides to it for a complete rack.

Steve

[AllanJ]

That's a neat idea steve..  1" dowels certainly are not cheap.. and you would need like 20ft of it.

[Brian D. Bray]

I haven't used PVC because I don't like to use plastic anything in my hives.  I like to do what might be called natural beekeeping.  Letting the bees do the things they do naturally with the exception of using the Langstroth hive for manipulation/management reasons.

I would think though that 1/2 (inside diameter) PVC would work just as well as dowling.  Drilling the ends of the shims to hold the PVC would do away with the need for any gluing.  My only concern would be air passing through the open PVC pipe at colder times of the year might be counter productive.

[buzzbee]

You could corkthe end holes and have a "Thermopane" type tube.

[SteveSC]

I wouldn't put a through hole in the front and back for the PVC - I'd just counter sink ( blind hole ) a hole the same size ( minus alittle ) of the PVC outside dia..  The ends of the PVC would then sealed within the counter sunk hole.   

[Robo]

Referencing Brian Bray's construction of Slatted racks using dowels instead of flats - has anyone used the same idea using round stock as Brian but used 3\4" or 1" PVC instead of the wood dowels...?

I haven't priced the wood but I'd say the PVC would be cheaper. You could counter sink some 3\4" or 1" dia. holes ( whatever is needed - not sure if that's an OD or an ID on PVC ) about 1\2" deep on the front and back pieces of wood to except ( glue in place ) PVC and then attach the sides to it for a complete rack.

A few years ago, I recall seeing a commercially available bottom board that was marketed for varroa that looked to be PVC that was ripped lengthwise an mounted cut side down. Looking from the side it would be something like this if the 'n' is half of the ripped PVC.
n n n n n n .....

The idea was the the halves were close enough together that the bees could not get thru it,  but any varroa that fell would fall thru the cracks because of the roundness of the pipe. 

This could cut your PVC cost in half.   You could just make a dado in the side boards and set the halfpipe into it.