Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Parksguyy on May 29, 2013, 12:29:09 pm
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Hello Everyone,
This is my second year as beek, Canadian to boot .... yesterday we were finally able to do a full hive inspection on our four hive. We've had a very tradional spring here that has lasted most of May, cooler at nite and cloudy, damp weather. All survived the winter well, one is alittle weaker than the others, but after yesterdays inspection I have no concerns. One hive had some die out on a couple of frames with old mouldly bees, but this is also one of the strongest hives too. Anyways, a friend of a friend was there to offer advice, he has had bees for 5yrs now. We reversed the hives at the same time and closed up the hives. My question is when I placed the inner cover back on, it was suggested that it should go on with the opening and tray (not the flush side) facing down into the hive. My inner covers are clearly stamped as "this side up" which shows the opening and tray facing upwards. Beekeeping for Dummies clearly illustrates the inner cover as I've indicated above, even has a picture of it that way. Just curious if I'm missing something here. Thanks
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Mysterious inner cover.
The most simple is a piece of insulation board. Light, breathing wood fibre board is popular. then above it there is some insulation.
I keep a flat box which has 9 mm panel against hive and above it there is 70 mm foam blastic matress. (All stuff recycled material)
In modern polyhive there are now joined water cover and inner cover. It is polystyrene.
Guys use a piece of plastic sheet above frames that burr does not glue the cover.
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I'm guessing it looks like this image. In the Spring and through the summer I put the 'up' side down to give the bees more room to move across the top of the frames. I was taught to do so in a beekeeping class I took in NJ.
(http://s16.postimg.org/u1mg1n7b5/p2010_11_06_0495.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/u1mg1n7b5/)
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I run with space below, to prevent crushing bees. You get more bur comb on the top bars, but this is easily scraped off. My homebuilt inners have space above and below.
At a beek meeting last night, a commercial operation described that they have abandoned inners entirely, and run with a 1/2 lath stapled to the top cover. Reason: reduces moisture buildup since there is no condensation on the inner cover. The moisture is what really hurts the winter bees.
As idee remarks below, if bees cannot access the seam between inner and outer, ants love to colonize that space.
A huge advantage of having some space accross the top of the bars is it makes it really easy to tell how many frames are occupied. Bees will wrap over the bars they have drawn and are working on. You can monitor the progress without lifting frames. Easy.
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My 2 cents.
My inter covers are similar to the pictured one above except no slot for an entrance. I have 2 screws in one of the ends that are not screwed in all of the way but are 3/8 to 1/2" short (out). In the winter, the screw side of the cover is up and in the summer the screw side is down. This (screw side down) provides for ventilation and also serves as an upper entrance. -Mike
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Thanks guys,
Great advice, I appreciate all of it.
To Mikecva - I do something similar as you, but use push pins in the back two corners of my inner cover during the hotest part of the summer. It raises the outer cover creating more ventilation plus the rain runs off it nicely to.
JWChescut - I'll keep them on as they are and see just how much burr comb they build, I believe thats the primary reason those inner covers are made that way.
Parksguyy
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Keep it that way and put hive stands in water cans, grease them, too. Put cinnamon around the hives. Cover the ground with diatamaceous earth, and still watch the ants kill the hive. Put it the way the sign says, and the bees can get up there and keep the ants out. None of the aforementioned stuff will be needed.