I'm new here and to beekeeping and have ?s

[VanBeek in MI]

Hi, I plan to get started in beekeeping this spring and am sure I will have several questions but for now the questions that comes to mind are...
what exactly is the inner cover for?
and what is the most popular super size?
Thanks very much

God Bless

Jim

[drobbins]

welcome to beesource, you've found a wealth of info

>>what exactly is the inner cover for?

the idea is to keep the bees from building comb attaching the frames to the top cover. of course they just build the same comb attaching the frames to the inner cover:rolleyes:
they aren't really needed but they can be handy
they let you lift the cover (which isn't stuck down) without the disturbing jar of breaking it loose and peak in on them through the hole in it without making them mad
the commercial guy's use a slightly different type of cover and no inner cover so they clearly aren't "necessary"
if you buy a kit and it comes with it use it, if not, don't worry about it

Dave

[Michael Bush]

>what exactly is the inner cover for?

To make a double wall for the cover to prevent condensation. But it also serves many other purposes such as a place to feed them, a way to get some smoke in the top before popping the top etc.

>and what is the most popular super size?

All of them. Probably deeps are the most popular with the commercial outfits. The mediums and shallows with the hobbyists. The extra shallows with some comb honey producers.

I just have all eight frame (13 3/4" wide) mediums for everything from brood to supers.

[brooksbeefarm]

Jim,Welcome to bee source.The inner cover has several uses,the #1 use is to keep the bees from propolizing the lid (glue the frames and super to the lid),if you are using a telescoping lid.If you use a migratory lid you don!t need one.Another use is like drobbins said,you can peek to see if they are active.You can also purchase a bee escape that fits in the oblong hole in the center of the inner cover that is used for robbing.They have other uses as you will find out when you get more experienced but these are the main ones.Good luck and have fun.Jack

[tecumseh]

van beek ask:
and what is the most popular super size?

tecumseh:
I imagine if you COULD count all the bee boxes in the us of a that illinois depth supers would outnumber almost all the other depths by at least 2 to 1. maximum weight (how much weight can you toss about) and purpose (for which the bees are kept) highly influences the question of which boxes you might wish to use.

[Ravenseye]

Welcome aboard. As most have mentioned, the inner cover has a variety of purposes. I find it particularly useful to keep the outer cover from being glued down. I forgot to put an inner cover on once and within a week, the outer cover was "part of the hive". Think of the inner cover as a divider between the inside of the hive and the outside of their house. It serves other purposes as well...all basically mentioned above.

[indypartridge]

Hello and Welcome!

This forum is a great place to learn more about bees & beekeeping. There's a wealth of information here, and you can find in-depth discussions on nearly any topic using the 'search' function.

If you haven't already, I recommend getting involved with a local bee club. Clubs often offer beginning beekeeping classes, and are good places to find mentors and get connected with nearby beekeepers. Michigan has several active clubs:
http://www.michiganbees.org/whoswho.htm
http://www.sembabees.org/

I would caution you against making decisions based on something being "most popular". McDonalds may be the "most popular" restaurant, but would you say it's "the best" restaurant? What works well for a commercial beekeeper with thousands of hives and what is best for a hobbyist are often quite different. Take the time to understand the differences and choose what is best for you.

[Musashi]

The inner cover is used for hiding small hive beetles. I belive that is the sole purpose of the inner cover. Wait, that's only in Florida. Your mileage may vary.

If you want to get crazy, you can use a propolis trap instead of an inner cover. Make those bees glue something that you can harvest. But then you'd have to search the internet for 3 nights straight learning about Propolis use, harvest, financial viability and worldwide distribution, have your local propolis tested to see what how it fares in a baseline study vs the documented potency of other propolis in say, the amazon, and then you'd have to not have your wife be on the verge of divorcing you if you mention the world propolis one more time.....Oh wait, I didn't mean me....I ..uhh...meant as an EXAMPLE in case you wanted a fun alternative to an inner cover ;-)

[Brent Bean]

Welcome Jim, the world can always use another beekeeper. Sounds like your on the right track, before you get started you have to plan. Use this time to obtain your equipment and have it ready. It’s to late to assemble your equipment when you have a package of bees sitting in the kitchen. I recommend reading a few books on beekeeping. A good first book is “ Beekeeping for Dummies” don’t be offended by the title, it’s a good cook book instructional on the beekeeping year. With great pictorials, you will find all your questions answered about basic beekeeping equipment. Also figure out where you are going to get your bees suppliers that sell packages will start taking orders soon if not already, this is not an unlimited supply and it’s first come first serve.
This forum has contact on such resources, I would also recommend subscribing to one of the bee magazine’s like Bee Culture or American Bee Journal. I personally get both there like peas and carrots good by themself but better together.

Good luck and may the Bee Fever get you. :)