# how do you make your inner covers?



## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Title asks it all. Just wondering how different people make their inner covers and what materials they use.

jb


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

I just make a 3/8 inch rim. Place telescoping cover on rim to keep proper bee space on top of frames. I have found inner hive beetles love the inner covers more than the bees do. The rim gives the bees space to patrol freely on the top of frames. I don't have any problems with the lids being glued down. I very seldom see beetles in my hives. Full sun is a big help also. I live in shb heaven.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

No such thing as inner hive beetles...typo. should proof read before posting.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Bkwoodsbees said:


> I just make a 3/8 inch rim. Place telescoping cover on rim to keep proper bee space on top of frames. I have found inner hive beetles love the inner covers more than the bees do. The rim gives the bees space to patrol freely on the top of frames. I don't have any problems with the lids being glued down. I very seldom see beetles in my hives. Full sun is a big help also. I live in shb heaven.


SHB are the only reason I will use inner covers. They give room as your 3/8 rim does. My bees glue everything down and the beetle traps to the lid without inner covers or a rim. The rim they glue also. I would like to do an inner cover with a beetle trap built into it.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Bkwoodsbees said:


> No such thing as inner hive beetles...typo. should proof read before posting.


Oh I don't know. The ones that live inside the hive are "inner beetles" the ones that live in the compost heap may be "outer beetles".

Or maybe the "inner beetles" are the ones that have spent time meditating and getting in touch with their inner self, promising to eat no brood, yeah, on second thought no "inner beetles"


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?267819-Workbench-Square&highlight=cover


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## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

So Bkwoods you could just tack that rim into your telescoping cover, right? I mean to make less equipment to deal with.


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## Bkwoodsbees (Feb 8, 2014)

I don't tack it but the bees sure do. That way if I am adding another box I can get it loose with hive tool. Remember with hive beetles full sun, evening shade ok, strong hives and no inner covers.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Michael Palmer said:


> http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?267819-Workbench-Square&highlight=cover


Nice design MP. When it is rim down, does the plywood in contact with the outer cover cause any issues, as I would run it like that. Afraid it might give SHB a place to congregate. I know that is not an issue in Vermont.


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

I made one of these last weekend the one with the larger top. I don't really have an opinion on it yet.

http://www.outyard.net/inner-cover.html


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

jbeshearse said:


> Title asks it all. Just wondering how different people make their inner covers and what materials they use.


A ⅛" space on the bottom, rather than a ⅜" space, gives me the correct bee space between the top of my frames and the bottom of the luan in my inner cover. I use Mannlake and Kelley (foundationless) frames. The vertical dado on my frame resets is ⅝". 

I mostly use ¼" luan or plywood and dado the rim with ⅛" space below and ⅜" to ¾" space above the luan/plywood.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I take a 1"x8" and rip it into 1 inch strips/ I then cut 1/4" dado into the 3/4" side 1/2" deep 1/8 inch from one side. Leaving 3/8" on the other. I cut two pieces 19 7/8" long and two 15 1/4" On the 15 1/4" pieces I kerf 1/2"long X1/8" deep off the 1/8 inch side and 1/2 X 3/8 off the other This makes the end of the 15 1/4" pieces fit into the 1/4 inch groove of the 19 7/8. I then cut a piece of 1/4 Oak laminated plywood. (I use Oak because luan tends come apart after two scrapings. or any moisture) 18 7/8" X 15 1/4" and place it into the slot of the 1" surrounds glue and staple with 5/8" crown staples. If I want a round feeder hole in them I drill one if not I do what I want.


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## kramerbryan (Oct 30, 2013)

I take a used political sign and cut it to fit with a razor knife.


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

I build a rim about an inch high from scrap (mostly from cutting wider board down to standard box sizes), cut a 3/8" dado in the pieces to fit a 3/8" piece of plywood (or several chunks left over from something else). The plywood fits into a slot about 1/8" down from the edge of the board. 

Peter


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

jbeshearse said:


> Nice design MP. When it is rim down, does the plywood in contact with the outer cover cause any issues, as I would run it like that. Afraid it might give SHB a place to congregate. I know that is not an issue in Vermont.


Rim down in winter only, so no SHB issues. Summer, rim is up, flat side down.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

I make my own boxes so I have 1 7/8" off cuts left from making boxes. I make the inner covers with these also the outer covers. For the inner cover I dado 3/8 up from one side and put one notch 3/4" wide in the front 16 1/4" board. I insert the 1/4" luan or plywood for the inner cover. Drill a hole in the center for venting, your choice above 1". By the way the long side is 19 1/8" long. I cut dados in the 16 1/4" ends. The 19 1/8" goes into the dados and is the right length for the frames. You end up with one side with 3/8" vented space for summer and one side with 1 3/8" to use in the winter for sugar blocks or baggies. For the outer cover I still cut the dados on the 16 1/4" sides and add 1/2" plywood on the top. There's 22" aluminum flashing that you can buy that covers the plywood to protect it from rain and snow.

I had one inner cover that I won at a raffle that only had 3/8" on both sides. I didn't pay attention to it and put a sugar block in December that left about 1/2" propped space and cooled the bees way to much as they only had 3 small patches of brood on 3 frames. I had to give them a frame of brood from another hive. I guess I'll have to give that cover to someone else at a club raffle to get rid of it.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I like to make my inner covers with the correct bee space 3/8" on one side of the inner cover and 3/4" on the other side. 
1 1/4" x 3/4" with a 1/8+" groove for the 1/8" luaan 3/8" down. I also drill a 2 1/8" hole through the center of the luaan for ventillation. I can use the correct bee space during the season and flip the cover to feed (mountain camp) for the winter months.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Since I go to the trouble of using inner covers, I might as well use the correct beespace between the top of the frames and the plywood. The top of the frames in my hives is not flush with the top of the box; in actual use, the top of the frames are about ¼" below the top of the box. I need an additional ⅛" to have the correct beespace. So, the plywood is recessed ⅛" rather than ⅜" on the bottom of the inner cover.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Riverderwent said:


> Since I go to the trouble of using inner covers, I might as well use the correct beespace between the top of the frames and the plywood. The top of the frames in my hives is not flush with the top of the box; in actual use, the top of the frames are about ¼" below the top of the box. I need an additional ⅛" to have the correct beespace. So, the plywood is recessed ⅛" rather than ⅜" on the bottom of the inner cover.


Sounds correct for new wooden ware. Up here (frozen north) the bees tend to use a lot of propolis to seal out the cold. Thus our bee space dwindles to nothing under the inner cover after a winter. The frames tend to fit flush if not a frog hair below the top of the super. Scraping frames and frame ledges is no fun for me or the bees! lol In comparison, the bees will also propolis the end bars of the frames thus increasing the bee space between frames. This is also a pain to scrape off. Do the bees use less down in your neck of the woods?


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

I made a really nice neat and tidy stack out of all my inner covers last fall and I MIGHT even put them all back on but I doubt it.


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

Mr.Beeman said:


> *Scraping* frames and *frame ledges is no fun for me or the bees*! lol In comparison, the bees will also propolis the end bars of the frames thus increasing the bee space between frames. This is also a pain to scrape off. Do the bees use less down in your neck of the woods?


Nice to know I'm not the only one. I've started keeping some empty boxes handy, when the ledges get really bad I swap the frames into a clean box and take the gummed-up one to scrape later.


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

Bkwoodsbees said:


> No such thing as inner hive beetles...typo. should proof read before posting.


That is actually a pretty good name for the SHBs that hang out on the inner cover. Those are the easiest ones to squish.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Mr.Beeman said:


> Sounds correct for new wooden ware. Up here (frozen north) the bees tend to use a lot of propolis to seal out the cold. Thus our bee space dwindles to nothing under the inner cover after a winter. The frames tend to fit flush if not a frog hair below the top of the super. Scraping frames and frame ledges is no fun for me or the bees! lol In comparison, the bees will also propolis the end bars of the frames thus increasing the bee space between frames. This is also a pain to scrape off. Do the bees use less down in your neck of the woods?


down here my bees propolis everything. I think they use it to corral and inhibit where the SHB can get too. With no inner cover they propolis the bottom of beetle traps to the frames and the tops to the migratory lid. A total pain to remove the lid then. Beetle traps hanging underneath the lid when you remove it. I too am this year swapping all bees tones boxes and scraping and painting the old. Since I run all mediums I am do this while the supers are not I use. At the height of season all my boxes should be in use.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Mr.Beeman said:


> Do the bees use less down in your neck of the woods?


They do use less when I have the correct beespace between the top of the frame and the bottom of the inner cover panel. I had been wondering if folks having propolis or burr comb above the frame tops in the top box was due to space issues in the inner cover.


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## CajunBee (May 15, 2013)

kramerbryan said:


> I take a used political sign and cut it to fit with a razor knife.


This is what I do also. Can cut a couple of holes and cover with screen for jar feeders. A slit down the middle on one side only allows it to fold in half for when I'm using them on double nucs. Just be careful not to use the wrong signs.....had one hive abscond from using a democrat.


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## Gazelle (May 17, 2015)

Hahaha!! I bet.


CajunBee said:


> This is what I do also. Can cut a couple of holes and cover with screen for jar feeders. A slit down the middle on one side only allows it to fold in half for when I'm using them on double nucs. Just be careful not to use the wrong signs.....had one hive abscond from using a democrat.


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## Buzzed (Oct 26, 2014)

Best use for them


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## BeeGold (Jan 28, 2016)

We use glass. It's not poreous therefore they don't have to propolize it. We can also do a small inspection without breaking the hive seal


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Riverderwent said:


> They do use less when I have the correct beespace between the top of the frame and the bottom of the inner cover panel. I had been wondering if folks having propolis or burr comb above the frame tops in the top box was due to space issues in the inner cover.


Out of all the beehives and years I have been keeping bees, only 1 hive built burr comb above the frames and under the inner cover. Not sure as to why either. They had plenty of room and even had plenty of unused drawn comb. I scraped off the burr comb once and they have yet to build them there again. Bees are unpredictable at times. lol


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