Inner cover or not?

[The7Cs]

When we bought our two hives in April, we bought them from a beekeeper with 300-400 hives here in Georgia, and sold them to us complete (minus the field bees we lost by taking the hive in the middle of a sunny day). The covers that came with the hives (and he was using the same setup on the 30-40 visible hives there) are simply a plywood cover with a lip on each end. There are NO inner covers on the hives.

Photos here:

http://www.snapfish.com/viewsharedphoto/p=666131116010449953/l=48122554/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPIC
http://www.snapfish.com/viewsharedphoto/p=109131116010468848/l=48122555/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPIC

The spot on the lid is the neck of a 3-liter bottle cut off and glued into the hole. This fits the cap of a smaller (20 oz or 2 liter) bottle perfectly. His method of feeding is that he collects glass bottles that the smaller caps screw onto (beer/wine bottles appear about right), and punches about 4 holes in the cap with a finishing nail. You then invert the bottle with the soda bottle cap and insert it into the neck of the three-liter glued into the cover. It's working well for us!

Anyhow, what's the deal with the inner cover? Is it really necessary? What concerns would you have operating with a cover like this? (One is slighlty warped and let some of the girls out while we were driving them home in the van.) I don't recall him mentioning ventilation issues, or insulating issues though I expect more of a overheating problem than an overwintering issue here in the South. What are your thoughts?


Regards,

Joe

[Michael Bush]

>Anyhow, what's the deal with the inner cover? Is it really necessary?

Not necessary, but they seem much more popular in the North. They cut down on condensation but so does top ventilation. They are not necessary. I run migratory covers with shims to make a top entrance and a Screened Bottom Board (SBB) with the entrance nailed shut so the skunks and mice stay out.

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/MigratoryTopEntrance2.JPG
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/MigratoryTopEntrance1.JPG

>What concerns would you have operating with a cover like this?

If you were in the North I might worry about condensation on the lid in the winter. In the South I'd have no concerns.

[Ross]

I run mine much like Michael, SBB, migratory top, shim in the warmer weather. I do leave the bottom entrance open however. No, I don't use inner covers. I use a piece of plywood with a hole in it (much like an inner cover) to support a hive top feeder when necessary, with an empty hive body over it.

[justgojumpit]

I use propolis traps on 8 of my hives. They cost the same as an inner cover, and they also trap propolis, which you can sell for $10.00 a lb wholesale!

justgojumpit