deep body or medium

[Joseph Clemens]

Several decades ago slatted racks were advocated, not just for the bottom board but also inside supers in place of one frame. They provide additional clustering space for the bee population as well as channels to improve ventilation, those bees don't just hang out in this clustering space, they fan too. It was said to reduce swarming and provide other benefits to hive health. I notice that with them the queen will frequently lay even in the outside of the outer comb surfaces, a plus, 20 potential brood surfaces. They build very little burr comb in these spaces. I have tried both slatted bottom boards and slatted side racks. Colonies so equipped beard quit a bit less.

The racks are made by cutting 3/4" thick leftover scrap wood to 5/16-3/8" thickness (bee space) slats. Using polyurethane and small, wire frame nails I fasten two vertical slats 4" back from each end and then glue and nail on 5 horizontal slats spacing them 5/16" apart and leaving that much space from the end of each slat. I leave a bee space above the first slat and extra space remains beneath the 5th slat. This way they occupy the space of one frame (less weight) and provide extra space and ventilation for the bees.

[Michael Bush]

I suppose they serve some of the same purpose as a follower on the ends.  I don't mind a follower for maintaining some space to remove the frames, and to give some cluster space and to cut down on condensation, but I'm not willing to give up another frame of brood.  

[Joseph Clemens]

11 frames with 1-1/4" spacing = 22 comb surfaces. Usually a maximum of 20 comb surfaces with brood.

10 frames with 1-1/4" spacing and slatted end racks = 20 comb surfaces, and 20 possible comb surfaces with brood. The bees even put brood in the outer surfaces of the outermost combs.

Perhaps the end slatted racks don't make enough of a difference to make them "cost effective", but they are a fun toy.

I did not come up with the idea for slatted racks, but I have adopted it and use it with most of my bees.

I have not used side slatted racks with honey supers and presently have no plans to do so. I do plan to eventually migrate all of my colonies to 3 medium boxes configured this way for their brood nests.

BTW, I have also built my bottom boards with slatted racks and fastened the bottom medium brood super to the bottom board with 4 deck screws. These can be removed once the super is emptied and the deck screws removed.

I have never treated my colonies in any way for mites or diseases and haven't lost any either. Other than photographs and illustrations I've never seen any brood diseases except a couple of chalkbrood once in awhile. I started converting to small-cell just in the past 3 years, after continuously keeping bees in the Tucson-Marana Arizona area for going on 9 years now. Before I began using small-cell I was almost exclusively using Pierco plastic foundation and one-piece frames for both brood and honey.