# Downside of migratory tops?



## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

They don't keep water out quite as well as telescoping covers.


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## phyber (Apr 14, 2015)

I'm trying MC this year after using TC last year... I can forsee some water leakage early on but the bees should propolize any significant gaps (remember, they live in hollowed out trees!). Aside from that, I could see it warping in the summer sun, but hopefully the wood braces will hold it straight.


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## bison (Apr 27, 2011)

In the winter I can put some Drivert sugar on top of the inner cover, so favor TC's. Will use MC's though if i run out. Bees don't care.


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## larrypeterson (Aug 22, 2015)

If I may add a bit to this discussion.

I like the telescoping tops and will continue to use the ones I have. I like the migratory tops because they are handy and much easier to get off when glued down and they are much easier to see if you have warpage. I made up some migratory tops with just one lip and two and one half inches longer . I glued and nailed on a 3/4 ridge on the other side so they serve as a base as well as a top. So far they are working just fine. I do weight the tops to hopefully prevent warping. It is, of course, not as good as the telescoping top cover to shed water from rain and snow. It does work well enough for my use. It is my opinion that the additional laminating helps to keep the top from warping and three coats of paint, hopefully, will keep water from entering the colony. 

After all is said and done, I don't think it really matters much whichever style you decide to use.

My philosophy is that "when you are robbing a train, and you are the only robber, you can rob it any way you want to."

Best wishes, LP


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I have a mix. use migratory in summer on growing colonies esp nucs I want right next to eachother. tele tops you always have a 1.5 inch space between them. I do put a rock on the top to give the mig cover a little more weight. I make mine out of plywood so lots of edges exposed so = less durability. I do paint mine for a few more years of service. last year my bees got the jump on me and for a few weeks I had boxes sitting on a piece of plywood and a piece for the roof.


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## Joe Hillmann (Apr 27, 2015)

One nice thing about a migratory top is you can stack the hives tight side by side to keep the warmer in winter.

The down side is warping, no overhang on the side to prevent the rain from running down the side, and not as weather proof.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

I've switched all my hives to migratory style covers. With them I am able to eliminate using inner covers, just one less piece of equipment to worry about. 

I haven't noticed any advantage/disadvantage as far as the bees are concerned. It's your preference. Try them both, and compare.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

MGolden, a Beesource member, overcome the problem of not being able to squeeze hives with telescopic covers together. He pushed two hives against each side of a piece of 2" styrofoam short enough that the top of it lay against the top of each hive's side wall and was under the bottom edge of the telescopic cover.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

we have used migratory covers for over 50 yrs and see no downside. If you open 100 hives a day it saves a lot of picking up of non needed equip. as far as water I consider this a non-issue. maybe in theory but not a factor in real life. for northern bees the tel cover with inner cover does provide more insulation.


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## Barhopper (Mar 5, 2015)

beeware10 said:


> we have used migratory covers for over 50 yrs and see no downside. If you open 100 hives a day it saves a lot of picking up of non needed equip. as far as water I consider this a non-issue. maybe in theory but not a factor in real life. for northern bees the tel cover with inner cover does provide more insulation.


Agreed


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

No downside on my side- only positives!


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Upfront, I have never used a MC only TC's. My thought is that the MC cover will leak rainwater into the hive and you cannot provide ventillation without shimming or drilling holes in supers. This is why I always had TC's and inner covers. For those who do run MC's, how do you provide ventillation all year long? Especially in the winter months when moisture is an issue?


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

I drill a 3/4 inch auger hole in the front center of the lid that allows for ventilation and a top entrance. Bees propolize around the lid to keep water out.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

It is very easy to solve the rain water issue.
Just put a piece of plastic with holes in it to
cover the top of the hive box. Put another hive
box or a shim on top to hold the plastic on. Then put
the MC on the empty hive or the shim follow by a
piece of brick to hold everything down. The extended
fold down plastic on the side will keep the water out initially.
If you use the LP osb composite particle board and paint them then
they will last a long time. Another advantage of using the LP
board is that over a season or 2 they will hold the propolis better. And
the bees will seal down the lid over night using the same propolis on the lid.
The sugar bricks will absorb the water during the winter time so no moisture
issue in the hives. I use the MC because it is cost effective and easy to make.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Just use Advantech for the tops, no painting, no warping.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

the only advantage of Telescoping covers i've seen is you don't need to bring an extra container to the yard to shake nurse bees into to scoop up a cup of bees for a sugar shake or either roll. On all of my hives minus the one my kid won on raffle in beeshool have flat plywood tops cut to the exact size of the outside of the box, no cleats, and no shims. I weigh them down with bricks and have no warpage issues at all. Some of them I have even cut 3 in holes in to invert a mason jar. Back when I was feeding to built up my yard I could look across and see the level of feed on each hive without ever having to open one up. even with a 3 in hole and exposed jar, never once had a weather issue where they leaked.


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## tpope (Mar 1, 2015)

I am replacing my inner covers and telescoping covers. I am eliminating a place for the small hive beetle to hide.


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

I have an opposite experience, during expansion last year I made some MC's because they were cheap to slap together but when winter feeding came it was a big pain in the butt. I make sugar blocks I can put on between the inner and TC. The MC gave me no space so I had to make extra spacers. Not a huge deal but I was not thinking about it so it sucked.


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## DirtyLittleSecret (Sep 10, 2014)

Second on the rain issue. Picked up a bunch on Mann Lake MC's and added ~ dozen hives to the home field only to find them all soaked all the way through before bees went in (thank goodness). Dried them out and sealed with Behr Deck Over (excellent) which solved ~95% of the water issue. Thinking about using some corrugated political signs cut down so about 1" sticks out over the boxes below to add another layer of protection. We are in Oregon though!


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

I have tried several different kinds of tops over the past 6 years. I like Advantech the best. I have about 15 migratory lids and at least 5 are rotting out already because of tropical weather here. Even with 4 coats of paint they rot out. Thick plywood is my second choice. Edges and top get 4 coats of paint. I'm not buying any more migratory tops.


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## Barhopper (Mar 5, 2015)

I use one side coated HDO for lids. Haven't had any problems with weathering for over two years. Downside is it's expensive. I just paid $105 for a 4x8 sheet. I get 8 tops and a couple nuc sized tops out of a sheet. I get it from Tibbet's Lumber in Ocala. I cut my own because I like a overhang on the front. Dadant's in High Springs sell the same type but the size of a 10 frame box. I don't know the price.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Barhopper said:


> I use one side coated HDO for lids. Haven't had any problems with weathering for over two years. Downside is it's expensive. I just paid $105 for a 4x8 sheet. I get 8 tops and a couple nuc sized tops out of a sheet. I get it from Tibbet's Lumber in Ocala. I cut my own because I like a overhang on the front. Dadant's in High Springs sell the same type but the size of a 10 frame box. I don't know the price.


That's the kind I was talking about, the tops I have that are still in great shape no matter what are from High Springs Dadant.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I like the side hang bars so that I
don't have to pry the lid off with a hive tool. The lid
just snaps off.
I also made my hive boxes a couple of inches taller
to accommodate the sugar blocks. Either put a wire
screen like Lauri did or put a piece of plastic on the
top bars to stop the comb building. I use a flexible plastic dish cloth net over them.
Good for bees introduction too before the combine.


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## Barhopper (Mar 5, 2015)

The same HDO as I buy but the same dimension as a ten frame box, no overhang.


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## AthensM50 (Jun 7, 2015)

bevy's honeybees said:


> I have tried several different kinds of tops over the past 6 years. I like Advantech the best. I have about 15 migratory lids and at least 5 are rotting out already because of tropical weather here. Even with 4 coats of paint they rot out. Thick plywood is my second choice. Edges and top get 4 coats of paint. I'm not buying any more migratory tops.


I am a fan of MT...my thought was to maybe pick up some old Political signs(or maybe new ones...haha) to cut to size and glue to the top of the MT???....anyone used them to help with them Rotting??


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

It might help, but I think most of the rotting starts on the edges. Not sure how much the sign would help.


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## AthensM50 (Jun 7, 2015)

true....was not worried about rain....Bee will seal that up....looking more on just keeping water off it.... if you cut sign maybe a 1/4 inch larger on all sides...maybe??

might do a test to see.


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## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Well as usual you all have inspired me, I'm going to try MCs again, built two last night and I'm going to build a few more of different styles to see what if any of them I like......I do like ease of building them.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I cut my LP composite particles board with a grinder.
The grinder will seal in all the edges because of the burn. Do it right at an angle and
there is no kickback. Make sure you know what you are doing. Head is still intact so far!


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

the down side is covered in propolis :lpf:


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

If you think too much proplis then put a piece of
plastic over the hive box first. Mine are minimal because of
the Italians. Don't know about other breeds.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

AthensM50 said:


> I am a fan of MT...my thought was to maybe pick up some old Political signs(or maybe new ones...haha) to cut to size and glue to the top of the MT???....anyone used them to help with them Rotting??


That's a good band aid until I get another batch of tops. Thanks, I will let you know how it turns out. 

I have a bunch of political signs from a few years ago that I keep hanging on to just in case. Well, here's just in case! I have an excellent plumbers tape (better than duck tape) that I will go around all the edging to keep moisture and ants out. The top end pieces are not the problem with rotting.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

beepro said:


> If you think too much proplis then put a piece of
> plastic over the hive box first. Mine are minimal because of
> the Italians. Don't know about other breeds.


that was a joke because they don't propolise the side that goes up :lpf:


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

What a joke!
In my reality bee world my bees do propolise every small gaps that they see.
So over time even the top cover will be filled in. Got the proof here so.


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