Slatted Bottom Racks

[Frantz]

Does anyone have a pic handy of their slatted bottom rack. I want to get a couple ready here in a bit. There is only about 27' of snow now :oops:and I should get started on a few of them. I am pretty sure I have the idea based off of the decsriptions that I found by searching, but I want to see a quick pic to solidify my plans.
Thanks a million,
Frantz

[mgates61]

Look here for plans to build them. I have built 2 and they are quite simple to do.


Slatted Rack Plans


Mike

[Brian D. Bray]

I made my own design.  Very simple, just a 1 3/4 inch shim with 1 inch doweling sunning the same direction as the frames.  This allows for mites to fall through and gives space so that the bees can cluster 360 degrees around each slat.  They also use the slat for a platform for moving air through the hive instead of loading the hive entrance.  With a top entrance they pull the air in the bottom and push it up through the hive--one way ventilation.  The rack also acts as a thermal layer holding "dead" air that insulates the bottom of the hive.  I have gone putting #8 hardware cloth on the bottom side of the slatted rack and doing away with the bottom board entirely as it's not needed with top entrances.  The bottoms are now used as tops.

[mgates61]

Brian,  I like that idea.  DO U have any drawn plans for that ?  If not I can figure it out.

Mike

[Brian D. Bray]

Brian,  I like that idea.  DO U have any drawn plans for that ?  If not I can figure it out.

Mike

No plans or pictures, sorry.
Make your shim, then use your end bars to make a template If you take a sheet of 1/4 inch plywood and cut it to the inside demension of the box by measuring in 1/2 inch from each side, placing the end bars across it and marking a hole (through the eyelet of the end bar) centered on the shim you can drill the holes align you dowels and secure them.  the other option, which I prefer is to drill holes in the template the same size as the dowels.  Cut the dowels so they are the 19 7/8 inches of the outside long measurement of the hive.  then just incert the dowels through the holes and tack the side panels of the shim.  The dowels can be glued or tacked in place.

Hope that gives you a better idea.

[SteveSC]

I know Brian doesn't like to use plastic in his hives and that's understandable. 

There's another option to the wooden dowels seeing that wood has gotten so expensive.  I made up about 20 slatted bottom racks this winter using 3\4" PVC instead of the wooden dowels.  If I remember, I think it takes (3) three 10' +\-  sticks per rack.  It's alot less expensive that way....

I also put #8 hardware cloth on the bottom of the racks and used them as bottom boards - the hives have top entrances for the bees.  Brian's talk and use of slatted bottom racks is what got me using them -I really like'm and I believe they help alot with ventilation in the summer and winter.

[Robo]

Here are mine which are based off the Killian design.

[Frantz]

Thanks a ton guys for the information. Robo that looks very simple, but with the bottom board there that you are just sliding that rack into, does it just become a way to keep them from building comb down there?? I guess that would be it huh??
F

[Robo]

Robo that looks very simple, but with the bottom board there that you are just sliding that rack into, does it just become a way to keep them from building comb down there??

No, it provides the same benefits of all the other slatted rack designs.   If you read Killian, they claim the slatted rack was key to their success.

[TwT]

Robo probably has the easiest design, a few years ago I bought one from betterbee because I like their design, when I got it I took it a part and made my own from it, just wanted it for a pattern to build my own. http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=308