Brilliant work Jeff! Very industrious- you make me feel ashamed. I’ve been meaning to make soem of these since forever.
This thread got me thinking- and now considering a lazy cheat for my hives with deep bases- using some kind of board with holes in it instead of slats. I put some nucs into some old australian beehives a few months ago that had a type of masonite board covered in 1cm ish sized holes, installed directly into the (deeper than normal) bases on risers, with gaps around the edges. Much easier to make than a slatted rack. An Old design. I think it would work basically the same as a slatted rack. The beekeeper who had them said he was very fond of those bases- he bought the hives last century and they were already old then. Still in good functional order. I wish I had taken a few photos.
Also one thing I did do was make a series of quilt boxes for my flow hives: and to date I have to report after 2 seasons a huge reduction in mold and damp in those hives. I think quilt boxes are great for hives in any location where the frames tend to get wet and damp.
Thanks Jack. They reckon that the slatted racks have been in use since around 1900. The design of those old Ausie beehives might be a variant of the slatted racks.
I’m interested in the baffle above the entrance & got me thinking & wondering if the baffle could extend back a lot further, reducing the length of the slats, which would further reduce cold or hot air onto the brood. Maybe you could consider something similar with your version. I have a LOT of leftover material to work with in trying different versions later on.
PS. I’ll go & do some bee work now, after replying to every topic from the past 24 hours
Now the 23rd of March, I have the last 4 of 51 racks, 17 honey supers (including 4 acquired a couple of weeks ago for free), 8 bottom boards & 8 lids, in my copper naphthenate soaking bin. Photos following:
I reduced the soaking time to 30 minutes per side in a shallow amount of liquid., which means all the corners got one hour. As the photos reveal, the liquid creeps up the wood, which I think is important, concerning the cut ends, where a lot of the rot starts. I still have to paint by hand the centers of the top & bottom boards, however I decided not to treat & paint the slats. I’ll only paint over the copper n. treatment.
