So I purchased a slatted rack and the beetle Baffle. Now how do you recommend I put them on, I know the Slatted Rack goes above the Screened Bottom Board. Should I put the beetle Baffle on top of the slatted Rack or below it on top of the Screened Bottom Board?
Also, I have a screened bottom board, should I put the cardboard insert or leave it out.
Thoughts?
I have never used a beetle baffle, could you provide a link to the one you have, and i can see what I can find out for you? The slatted rack should go on top of the bottom board, below the lowest brood box, as you correctly described.
It’s a metal strip that goes on top of the baseboard so it’s not possible for the beetles to climb up the sides.
In that case, I would definitely put it on top of the bottom board and underneath the slatted rack. That way they can’t get get back up through the screen. As for the slider, I would replace it with a beetle trap of oil or similar, otherwise beetles can just fly in through the mesh from underneath the hive. You could also use Cedar’s idea of the rough side of a plastic picnic tablecloth, which helps entangle beetle legs. Fix it to the slider and put it in the lower slot of the bottom board.
Good idea i am trying to protect my two hives so they survive the winter. I will add that trick to. I didn’t have any beetles, but I made the mistake to feed them a to large Patty and that attracted the bottle.
Should I leave the screened bottom board without the slider? Winters are cold, but I have the slatted racks. Also I have the bee cubby insulation to wrap around the hive.
I don’t know what Ed (@Anon) would advise, as he is in your climate and has 50+ hives most of the time, but I would say definitely not. Even with the slatted racks, the bees can get a huge draft by convection up through the SBB in winter when the heat gradient is very steep. Hives are a bit like a chimney, and Ed is an expert on those! 
I’ll have to do some testing first:
I’ll raise my house off the ground a few feet, cut the floor out of it so I can see the ground below, install a screen to walk on and then put a slatted rack on top of the screen.
I’ll report back when I get the next month’s energy bill but I’m thinking cooling/heating efficiency is going to take a major hit 
LOL true I’ll keep it uncovered in the summer, but i will put it on when it gets colder. Ed when do you start to winterize?
I start to winterize in late July/early August.
The cardboard bottom is already in place. I have been feeding them extra sugar in the meantime. I am curious I got this to help with the humidity.
https://capitalbeesupply.com/products/insulating-ventilating-winter-cover/
Now if I put the Bee Cozy on i would stop at the ventilating cover. Now I have one entrance at the bottom, in between the two boxes, and one at the top below the top cover. With a Bee Cozy the middle entrance will be blocked or should I make a hole in the Bee Cozy for that hole?
Also should I remove the regular entrance reducer
https://www.betterbee.com/wooden-hive-kits-10-frame/erc10-cedar-entrance-reducer.asp
Other then a few days, so far it has been relatively warm, I don’t want to winterize to early. Probably some time in October or November.
and put this Mouse Guard on?
https://capitalbeesupply.com/products/mouse-guard-10fr-stainless/
By winterize I mean take care of mites, check queen health, food stores, etc.
1/2" hardware cloth works well for mouse protection and letting the bees in and out.
Some years I use moisture boards, other years I don’t and I haven’t seen it make a difference in survival. I’m sure it helps absorb some moisture so I’m not discounting it but if I forget to install them, I don’t lose sleep over it. I do leave a top and bottom entrance all year so air circulates.
I think I did winterize well this year, however, I lost my weaker hive early in this season. The one hive was always weaker, than the other, by numbers and what not, I fed as much as i could, but one day I had a mass death of bees. I cleared the dead bees, saw there were still bees, however, realized they were not enough to keep the hive warm. Should I leave the dead hive alone, and in the spring get a package and place them in the hive, there is a lot of honey in the hive and what not. I wonder if that will be fine.
My other hive, was always strong, but today was a warm day, and I went in to clean the hive, found a lot of dead bees on the bottom of the hive. I did see some weird wasp like bees, and killed them, i think two of them. Hive still has a lot of bees.