What On Earth Is the Purpose of an Inner Cover? | Beekeeping Equipment Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- You may have seen that board with a hole in the center at a beekeeping supply site and wondered what it was or maybe you use one yourself, but what do they actually DO?
In this video I talk about the reasons people say to use an inner cover, how I've used one and whether I think it actually helps.
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I like how you go between theory and real world scenarios. Good job, thank you!
Thanks!
I live in a cold climate and I use them to support the insulation above the hives and bellow the outer cover.... I love your channel!!
Thanks! I definitely recommend them when prepping your hive for winter.
Good. The inner cover deserved a thorough critique and there is a shortage of such on TH-cam. I used inner covers my first year of beekeeping because they came with my hive kits from Mann Lake. I make all of my equipment now and just use migratory style lids. Good video. Topeka, KS.
Thanks! I'm really trying to address all those little questions students ask me. Migratory lids are definitely easier in many ways though the telescoping outer cover is nice during the rainy season. I think people think the hive has to be sealed up really well, but it's usually the opposite. You need ventilation!
I agree its not neccessary, but I like them. I keep mine with the vent open/down year round, which is most helpful in winter like you said. Also in winter, you can add sugar/fondant/emergency feed on top of the inner cover instead of directly on the frames, which makes adding a pollen patty in early spring much easier. But yeah, there are easy workarounds for both issues.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, it's funny how they have become a piece of equipment people assume they need, but it's not really a crucial item for every beekeeper to have. I wonder how this happened. Maybe beekeeping supply places just started adding them to the "beekeeping starter kit". they are way more handy in cold weather states. Luckily, I don't have to feed my bees. I just keep a chest freezer of comb for when they need it and the pollen patty isn't necessary in our area.
Your logic is sound. Beekeeping must adapt to local conditions and the weather. I use an inner cover to feed pails because I like to protect my pails with an empty deep covered by a telescoping cover. In heat, I prop the tops with a stick, and in cold, I use relectix. (Maryland) I understand why they would be unnecessary in Hawaii.
At the beginning of my journey I did not use the inner cover. Now I just take two plywood halves and place over the frames:
1. More insulation from the sun hitting the top cover in the summer [I build beehives with 3 cm thick walls instead of 2] and less condensation in the winter
2. The bees do not build a comb between the frames and the top cover... just a little propolis in the winter
3. The most important thing for me - when I open a hive and lift only 'half a lid' - I can work without disturbing a large part of the hive - which creates a more relaxed atmosphere for me and for them.
An interesting experiment - I put a net over the hole in the lid and the bees completely sealed it with propolis, maybe they don't want ventilation like we want...
I agree it's not for everybody. But I do use one with a honey super on and a top with a round feeder with a lid on it. Works great. Also I drilled two 1 1/2 inch holes through it and put a screen on those holes to help with ventilation during the summer.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing.
Sir do, 🙏 This is what I find works best for me. I use the inner cover in many ways, for example, apart from the normal uses:
To compress the colony.
When feeding honey sugar syrup.
When feeding dry sugar.
When getting the bees to keep the empty supers free of wax moth in the rainy season.
When I am extracting to prevent robbing.
Using one side for the triangle escape board.
Respecting the bee space the inner cover provided.
While doing beekeeping in my area I have found that paying attention to what will work for me, as I manipulate the colonies into being productive, is how I can say the use of an inner cover is very helpful to me.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me these are what came to mind for the moment - so, stay healthy and good luck to you 👋.
I have used inner covers for all of the 10 years now that I have been keeping 2 or so hives of bees and I plan to continue to do so as I see it providing a net positive advantage. The best purpose that I have seen for having an inner cover is that it keeps predatory creatures, e.g., earwigs, spiders, beetles, moths, etc. from having direct access to the hive. As acknowledged in the video, the inner cover provides the benefit of an upper access/vent for the bees, but which is also an ingress for pests. Since with an inner cover, the real upper entrance into the hive is in the center of the box and limited to a handhold sized opening, which I have always seen bees clustering at, pests are deterred from gaining entrance directly down into the hive itself. It's not uncommon for me to see pests somewhere on the inner cover whenever I lift off the outer cover. The drilling of a hole in the top super to also provide bees with access and ventilation, as suggested in the video doesn't give this same deterrence effect as any pest that has the opportunity to evade the bees' defense of the hole can go directly into the hive.
Thanks you for the response!
I just started become beekeeper. I hope can learning lot of thing in your channel as I just subscribe your channel today
I use mine on the ground to put supers on during inspection. I also have used it as a "bridge" to help bees get into a box in a swarm situation or when moving bees into a new hive. It's inexpensive enough to have around for me.
Thank you for the comment! I have never tried to use it when catching a swarm.
Just found your channel. I’m wanting to start keeping bees but next year. So I’m trying to spend this year education myself.
I’m up in the Pacific Northwest. I’m going to move this year to using Reflectix instead of wood inner covers. I don’t like having another piece of equipment...it adds up on money, space and energy. I only use the inners because of telescoping covers because of how hard they are to take off and the only reason I use those is for the constant rain we have. But other than that, I see no purpose for them.
Will have my first colony this spring. My hive came with an inner cover. I also have the telescoping lid. My question is are the bees able to use the top entrance by going under and up the lid where I’d hangs over? Seems like they’re definitely smart enough to do so but just curious what ppl have experienced with this.
Nice video.
I had been wondering if when you use the inner cover to put patties on.... 'will there be less chance of hive beetles if the pollen patties are given in smaller amounts'?
A small piece of a pollen pattie is the safer way to go. When I used pollen patties in PA, we didn't have small hive beetle problems, so there was nothing to worry about. Here in HI, I've seen beetle larvae under the pollen patties, so definitely don't put more in the hive than absolutely necessary. In spring, the hives are small, so there shouldn't be a need to feed them much pollen. If you live somewhere where there's a frost during winter, there shouldn't be much of a small hive beetle population to worry about either in the spring. It's more so a problem later in the season.
I think beeing in a warm climate where you are you will not need one How ever
In a cold climate you certainly do need one! we call them Crown Boards here. In cold climate winter if moisture goes up to the lid and condenses it will drip down and kill the bees. The Hole in the corwn board is a barrier between the cold top of the lid. Moisture only condenses back into water when cooled. That is the real reason for a crown board. Some people will put dry sugar ontop of the crown board or sawdust. The vents in the lid then dry it out. I hope this makes sense. And like you say you can also put feeders on top of the board.
Thank you for the response! When I kept bees in a climate weather climate, I used a layer of burlap with a super filled with sugar on top and a moisture board above that. It's good to know that an inner cover can additionally help with preventing condensation inside the hive. So do you not put a moisture board in your hive over Winter?
If you insulated your top cover, wouldn’t that prevent condensation?
Now we're going beyond my knowledge of the science behind condensation. If temperatures outside are below freezing and the bee cluster is over 90F and condensation is caused when warm air runs into cold temperatures, what exactly is this temperature difference that causes the condensation to occur? I would think no amount of insulation would be enough to completely prevent any condensation, but that's just a guess. I used a box of dry sugar or wodd shavings to absorb moisture just in case anyway.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple I think you got the condensation scientists cornered...lol
btw - I was wondering why do they need the inner cover and your video and the comments answered my question...thanks.
Hello I sow some TH-cam video were that the person explain that if you do not use the inner cover, the telescopic cover will get propolis and will be very hard to open
Hi Oscar. Thanks for the comment. I, personally, have not had an issue getting a telescoping outer cover off of my hives here in Hawaii. However, one beekeeper in Texas told me that the inner cover helps quite a bit to get the cover off. It's possible it's an issue with high heat making the propolis extra sticky. It does get pretty hot here in Hawaii, but nowhere near the high temperatures in SE Texas.
This video was helpful… I couldn’t figure out the purpose of my inner cover as it did not have the notch cut out.
Condensation is caused when warm air runs into cold temperatures warm air can hold more humidity. so that's why the top of the hive has to be insulated to stop the condensation, ventilating it out doesn't have as much bearing on stopping condensation as much as keeping the top of the hive insulated.
Thank you for the explanation!
I dont have them either
Next season im switching to long langstroth with bottom board u can open for air
Hope that would be good for bees
I know a few people who like to keep a screened bottom on their hives over winter. The long langstroths are nice and much easier on the back.
Hmmmm...the inner cover to me is to maintain proper bee space over the top of the frames so that the bees do not weld the cover onto the frames or build comb on the cover.
Thanks for the comment. I've never had a problem with bees building comb on the cover or over the top of the frames. If it's a problem you have, of course keep using your inner cover.
Thanks for the video. The inner covers are expensive and difficult to make correctly. I am having ventilation problems due to the heat. I am considering leaving them off. I see migratory covers are used in transport. The ones I have seen usually use like a plastic foil like cover where the inner cover would go. Are you aware of these? I think mostly in cooler climates.
Unless you have difficulty taking your lid off without an inner cover, I would leave them off in the summer months. You could also play around with a screened bottom or having an upper entrance as well to help with ventilation. Most of my honey supers have a 3/4" hole in them. I did this because my hives get big and the lower entrances were always so crowded. The migratory lids are used when you need to save on space like when you're loading them onto a truck but I also use them on my hives because the climate is warm year round and they're easy to make. That being said, in the areas where it's super rainy, I prefer the telescoping outer covers to prevent it from getting moldy inside the hive or rain from getting in. I'm not familiar with a plastic foil inner cover. Do you have your bees in a colder climate? The only people I've talked to who use an inner cover in the warmer months are the people who deal with africanized bees. They say they need the inner cover to make it as easy as possible to take off the lid so they don't disturb the bees too much.
This video does a good job of explaining the heat ventilation: th-cam.com/video/HweKha46et4/w-d-xo.html
dead outs: As a member of a beekeeper's association, for whatever reason, the officers of the club have decided to only use a FLAT top cover for the club's hives (basically just a board that lays on top of the hive). Privately owned hives mostly have an inner cover and a top cover (which sleeves over the top super). The explanation from the club's officers was that using the metal-topped top cover that sleeves over the super with no inner cover was very difficult to break free. At this particular bee yard, we went through about 15 hives and these bees propolized things very firmly.
What I've noticed during the hive inspections is that the club's hives (which only used a flat board for a top cover and no inner cover) had multiple absconded colonies, many beetle problems, and some very weak colonies. All across the board, the privately-owned hives were very healthy in comparison (and probably much easier to open).
I think, if they would have just bothered to use an inner cover in conjunction with the metal roof, they wouldn't have struggled nearly as badly. But, in the end, every apiary is different, especially when considering different climates and locations. It's still true that whatever works for you, works for you.
Thanks for sharing. I mostly use migratory covers (the ones that are a flat top), but I also have some metal top covers that extend over the sides of the box. I, personally, do not have trouble removing the lid without an inner cover. I have been told by a beekeeper in Texas who has bees with some africanized genetics that you need an inner cover to make it easier to take the outer cover off so that you disturb the bees very little when opening the hive since they are so sensitive to any kind of movement. When I take the cover off, there's a slight snap to it when the propolis seal is broken but that's about it.
The flat board covers are called migratory covers because commercial beekeepers use them. You don't want your lid to extend past the boxes or it will take up more space on the truck when moving them. The apiary I worked for had a few thousand hives and we had no problems with the migratory covers even in the very rainy areas of the island and when hurricanes came through. My guess would be that hives maintained by a club and multiple people aren't going to be as well taken care of as privately owned hives. You pay better attention to your bees when they're yours and you have to pay out of your own pocket when a hive absconds or loses a queen, but you're right that there are a lot of viariables when comparing bees in two different apiaries managed by different people.
good video! I live in South Florida and the inner cover ventilation is too poor in my beehive. I made a screen inner cover to replace the wood inner cover. is that has any downside to use a screen cover?
Thanks! Good point. On those hot summer days, you want good ventilation and an upper entrance as well as a lower one. I don't see the downside to making the inner cover a screen if you're using it in a warm climate. Is the purpose to using one to make it easier to get the lid off?
What about an inner cover with plexiglass instead of wood for some nice observation? :)
I recently saw a very beautiful top bar hive that had a plexiglass cover over the bars and then a lid on top of that. It's a great idea!
absolutely necessary here in upstate ny near Canada. . .
Without the cover board the bees will build comb and stick the top of the frames to the underside of the roof, good luck with getting the roof off, you'll need a hammer to shock it off. You say prise it off, how, the roof comes down the side of the box, what do you prise against?
I have never had that happen to a beehive I've managed in the 12 years I've been keeping them and it's year round beekeeping here. Curious if you ever tried this and seen it happen? To answer your question, there is a gap between the side of the cover and the box. You can put your hive tool in that gap and give it a little push and the lid pops right off for me.
Thank you.
Its good for 8 purposes
Moisture does not kill bees. If you have a bee hive that has moisture the bees will just leave.
Bees need moisture the issue you would have is the bee hive being to large to maintain it.
I have never seen a video where the bees died from moisture and think anyone that adds all these vents are just wasting there time beekeeping. If you have a lot of snow than a upper entrance can be good from built up ice.
The inner cover just adds space for food. You can also add a screen cap to make a double screen board which is used to expand using the same foot print.
Add some screens and some shims on the screen and make a double screen board. Enjoy using one bottom board and one lid. Just make you entrance in your box or cut a notch.
For 2 hives