> On Sep 7, 2015, at 9:37 PM, Jerry Bromenshenk <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 

> As per the question about slatted bottom boards running perpendicular to the frame, now parallel - I don't know who or why the original ran perpendicular to the frames. 



In CC Miller’s book Fifty Years with the Bees, he has a photograph of the original slatted rack. His bottom board is two inches deep, to provide a huge air flow. He hit upon the idea of a rack that would slide into the space in spring, and be pulled out in fall. The rack consists of two long rails and a bunch of scraps of wood nailed across the rails, like a little ladder. 



The whole point was to have an extra deep bottom board for increased air flow, but it inevitably entices the bees to build comb down from the bottoms of the frames. Putting the rack in there prevents to a large extent, this problem. I submit that a screened bottom board would provide the same benefit (ventilation) at a much lower cost.



A lot of people obsess over ventilation, shimming the lid, sliding the supers back, etc. Meanwhile, plenty of desert beekeepers keep bees in temperatures in excess of 100F and don’t modify the hives at all. They do provide shade, however.





P





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