[ally]

I understand that one purpose of an inner cover is to provide a beespace that prevents the bees from gluing the lid to the top of the bars/frames. But the space between the inner cover and the lid also provides a nice place for hive beetles.

I generally use an insulated lid with plywood bottom, so why not just put a narrow border around the perimeter of the lid to raise it 1/4" to 3/8" above the frames? I already use a top entrance so ventilation is not an issue.

 

[ally]

as far as I can tell, most folks prefer the telescoping cover...

Actually, I am referring to a telescoping lid, just telescoping the lid upward 1/4". The outer perimeter of the lid would still drop down over the top edge of the hive box. If the bees don't propolize the inner cover, why would they propolize the lid if it is spaced the same from the top of the frames?

 

[ally]

They do propolize the inner covers.

By "propolize the inner cover", do you mean that they just cover it with propolis (like the do with the rest of the hive), or do you mean they glue the frames to the inner cover? I don't mind if they cover the bottom of the outer cover with propolis if I don't use an inner cover.

 

[ally]

...having the bees be required to come up through the center would have saved me from trying to get some very mobile bees off the edges to replace the cover without squishing bees.

I hate squishing bees too Wouldn't you have the same problem around the edges when placing an inner cover on the hive? We're just moving the squishing from the outer cover to the inner cover. I like to hinge my tops so I have more control over lowering them and it's easier on the back than putting them on the ground.

 

[ally]

The issue of whether you need to glue small strips of wood to the board depends on how your hive bodies are constructed. Some manufacturers have 'beespace' distributed equally between the bottom of one box and the top of the lower one. In other cases most of the 'beespace' is at the top, and in other cases beespace is mostly at the bottom.

You, sir, have nailed it! I checked one of my old Lang supers...sure enough, the frames are 1/4" below the body. That hive never had any attachment issues with the flat side of the inner cover. Since I plan on adapting a TBH to a long, I'll need to place spacers on top of the bars to get the same beespace regardless of inner cover or not.