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Author Topic: Top cover experiment  (Read 2663 times)

Offline wd

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Top cover experiment
« on: January 16, 2011, 11:51:57 pm »
Last year I thought I'd try this top cover out as is as an experiment. Checked it this afternoon, worked out just fine. The inside was covered enough with propolis to keep out the rains thus far and the hive actually had some brood. Amazing!


Offline Apis_M_Rescue

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Re: Top cover experiment
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2011, 01:45:13 am »
Thanks for sharing. Have any more pics? Its not a metal covered telescoping top. Is it a cedar or pine migratory type one? Are the boards butted or the traditionally overlapped? Do you have these roofs on standard 2 deeps & few supered high hives? How many years have they been lasting you?

I have some migratory tops & a few telescoping top covers but still used corrugated plastic roofing as these last rains in southern California were unusually frequent & heavy. One of my almost year old swarm trapped hives are heavy propolizers but it still got some mold on lowest base deep on the north side of it due to water getting soaking through 2 deeps abutting sides. This sun's drying em out but now NOAA is predicting La Nina dry winter from here on in & earlier spring arriving. Will see if their predictions come to fruition & how bees react this initially rain soaked December & warming so far dry January.
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Offline wd

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Re: Top cover experiment
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2011, 07:41:33 am »
sorry to say I didn't take any pics this time round. I was half way expecting a loss and surprised to see what I did. It's a cedar migratory top cover from dadant that over laps I purchased in yr 2000-01, rough side down. The hive is a 10 frame deep / one medium super on a slight slant forward, didn't notice any mold.

I have a few telescoping covers in use. one of those, which is two deeps on a slight slant forward sits next this one, it did have some mold and lots of live bees. didn't see any brood just lots of shiny cells, Both of these hives have cedar bottom boards nailed on with hive staples. I like the migratory cover little better, I'll be switching the teles with painted plywood this year. all bees were bringing in yellow and red pollen. I'd like to check on them again the first week or so of February, I'll get some pics then.


Offline AllenF

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Re: Top cover experiment
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2011, 03:32:13 pm »
I use all telescoping tops now, but have a mess of migratory tops.   They are made with tongue and groove boards.   Old paint and bee glue have them water tight.

Offline wd

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Re: Top cover experiment
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2011, 08:16:10 pm »
I was passing through without gear, decided to do a quick, lite check today, It dose look like an early spring is here though there's still a chance of frost and light rains in the near future.

Hives with tele covers and inner covers did have some mold, now they're appear to be doing ok. Those with migratory covers as seen in the pic above didn't have signs of mold. With the exception of one hive, put on close to two pounds of pollen sub per on the day of this check with out syrup -> Jan 16th. Roughly half is gone and honey is still there today. They are very active.

The larger apiaries close by all run painted migratory covers with out an over hang set up for gallon can feeders, none are in the area right now, I assume they've been moved to almonds. With what little I can see in the orchards, very few have gallon feeders on right now. If what I have want to fly the distance, almonds and other sources are with in range. anyway..

I didn't have a camera in hand today. I will check with gear (a suit) and a camera in the next week, the bees were pissy so I couldn't or wouldn't dig in deep. The pic below is of a check in November, They all looked pretty close to the same last check with the difference of the population split up into two boxes instead of one which isn't a booming hive to me. For those that notice, The truth of the matter is I used the hive tool in the pic because my real hive tool wasn't available, it disappeared and since been replaced with a standard hive tool.

The exception hive was started with a gallon of syrup and a few tables spoons of dry mega bee on two occasions. I haven't put on any feed on since. It's an experiment.



Hopefully it doesn't look similar to this on next check