# Telescoping Hive Cover vs Plain Old Migratory Cover



## psfred

Either will work just fine, as bees are very adaptable and any sort of hive built by humans is definitely un-natural for bees, which prefer cavities in things like hollow trees rather than rectangular boxes with frames in them!

There are advantages and dis-advantages to both types.

Migratory covers are lighter and hence easier to handle, but they will also get propylized down by the bees. Not always an issue, but my brother has a hive where we have broken a couple inner covers getting them off and this year the bees have closed off the vent hole along with reducing the entrance at the bottom to about an inch wide with propylis. Nice to have an outer cover that can be easily removed and will allow a broken inner cover to be replaced at a later time.

A metal covered telescoping cover should last at least a lifetime if kept painted. Plywood migratory covers can fall apart fairly quickly if the paint is not kept up, the changes in shape and volume of the plys will eventually fracture them off the glue and you have three or four thin layers of wood floating around instead of a solid piece. They will then leak water into the hive.

Migratory covers allow you to push hives together in the winter, keeping them warmer with less danger of winter die-out. Telescoping covers won't.

Telescoping covers allow you to have a top entrance that is behind the lower edge of the cover -- this keeps a lot of wind out without a special part or obstructing the entrance for bees, and it can be closed off simply by sliding the cover back to the hive body. You would have to add something to most migratory covers to do this, and they would then not sit flush. 

If you are not moving hives, you can use anything you want. If you do stack dozens or hundreds of hives on trailers for shipment, you will need migratory covers.

Peter


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## KQ6AR

Also I found when the frame tops got waxed to the migratory cover it was more difficult to remove.
The cleats on the end of the cover prevented me from being able to get my hive tool between to pry the frames down without lifting them up. Can't rotate it either.
The inner cover is easier for me to remove without moving the frames around.


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## Charlie B

I replaced all my telescoping covers with plywood migratory in early fall and I can't see any difference in the performance in which they're intended through the winter. I just got tired of the bulky heavy lids and dealing with one extra piece of equipment, (inner cover).

I siliconed the edges before painting them to keep the excess moisture out and drilled a feed hole through the tops. I also drilled vent holes on each end and screened with #8 hardware cloth. I glued and stapled a 3/8" lip underneath (like inner covers) so there's very little burr comb. I can repaint in the fall with the lids still on the hives using a 4" roller in just a few minutes per cover.

So much easier now to use.


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## RichardsonTX

Take my opinion with a grain of salt since I am just a 2nd year bee keeper but here's my opinion..................

Migratory lids are cheaper, require less time to make, the hives fit in my truck perfectly, and the lid comes off and on easy if used with an inner cover. I cover mine with 20" valley flashing which fits down over the sides snug and if the lid is built the same size as the bottom board it allows for 1/2" of ventilation space if propped up with some spacers.


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## NDnewbeek

If you have serious winter weather (and by the looks of your location, you do) - you need to go with telescoping covers. I tried two hives with migratory covers last winter. It didn't work. No matter what I did, the migratory covers leaked along the sides and the hives got wet and died. I don't think they work very well anyplace you get wind, extreme cold and snow over winter for any period of time.

The difference in cost/hive is marginal when you consider the costs associated with replacing hives, potentially losing the wax, etc. Telescoping covers are cheap insurance in northern climates.

Some time ago, a thread similar to this came up and the poster asked the question to the effect, "Why does anyone use telescoping covers - what am I missing?"

I believe it was Michael Palmer who replied, "Winter". I agree.


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## StevenG

another advantage to telescoping hive covers is when you pop one off, lay it on the ground upside down, and you have a place to stack your supers when inspecting the colony. Set the super at an angle to the cover, the frames hang free at the bottom so it minimizes crushed bees and other damage.
Regards,
Steven


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## okbees

100+ hives at $25 each for for telescoping covers and inner cover, or 100+ hives at $0 for used plywood/cement board/scraps of wood made into migratory tops. This is what made our decision. We don't see any advantage for telescoping covers.


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## ken rice

Like any other question on beekeeping, you get personal preferences. In the case of the telescoping verses migratory. I believe if you are always going to keep hives in warmer climates, migratory covers are fine. In the colder climates, telescoping covers are the way to go.


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## Solomon Parker

I use migratory style covers without the lip so they fit my upper entrances. Without the upper entrance, I can put a telescoping cover right over it. One of my longest lived lids is a piece of 1/2" plywood that used to be a sign. Never painted other than the sign on one side. Whatever it was made from, it was good stuff. It was probably more than 20 years old before I cut it up.


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## Charlie B

Solomon Parker said:


> One of my longest lived lids is a piece of 1/2" plywood that used to be a sign. Never painted other than the sign on one side. Whatever it was made from, it was good stuff. It was probably more than 20 years old before I cut it up.


You mean "they don't make 'em like they used to" even applies to plywood? Who knew!


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## nickermire

Thanks for the input fellas. I'll probably do telescoping then even with my top entrance only hives.


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## Michael Bush

The point of an inner cover is to prevent condensation. A top entrance does a lot to prevent it. Some styrofoam on the lid does a lot to prevent it. A telescopic cover catches the wind more and blows off more. But the inner cover creates a dead air space which helps with condensation. I have flat covers, no inner cover, no telescopic but I have top entrances (which let the moisture out) and I usually put some styrofoam on the lid for winter.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#innercover


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## larrymn

got any pictures of those covers?


Charlie B said:


> I replaced all my telescoping covers with plywood migratory in early fall and I can't see any difference in the performance in which they're intended through the winter. I just got tired of the bulky heavy lids and dealing with one extra piece of equipment, (inner cover).
> 
> I siliconed the edges before painting them to keep the excess moisture out and drilled a feed hole through the tops. I also drilled vent holes on each end and screened with #8 hardware cloth. I glued and stapled a 3/8" lip underneath (like inner covers) so there's very little burr comb. I can repaint in the fall with the lids still on the hives using a 4" roller in just a few minutes per cover.
> 
> So much easier now to use.


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## Charlie B

Here are pics of my migratory hive covers with the vent holes. Sorry it took so long.


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## Vance G

Telescoping covers are a luxury Item in my opinion. I see the advantages they offer, but it is cheaper to put a square of homosote and styrofoam over the top and under my style of migratory cover.


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## Konrad

StevenG said:


> another advantage to telescoping hive covers is when you pop one off, lay it on the ground upside down, and you have a place to stack your supers when inspecting the colony. Set the super at an angle to the cover, the frames hang free at the bottom so it minimizes crushed bees and other damage.
> Regards,
> Steven


Agree! ... Upside down, you can stack your hive bodies several inches away from the ground nice and clean for inspection.
Also,
For a hobbyist, a telescoping cover can be really nice, it's very sturdy with galvanized covering and hanging over the sides, making the rain/water
run a bit away from hive body, nice to put a heavy rock or brick on top, I also use the hang over of the telescope to block the top entrance in the hive cover, [slot], if I want to use bottom entrance only....this way I don't get pollen in honey super.


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## sqkcrk

nickermire said:


> Looking through the magazines you see a lot of telescoping hive covers. They may look more elegant and hardy, but do they really provide the bees they cover with any real advantage over a plywood cover than takes up less space?
> 
> I'm just curious what the average person prefers. Please comment.


Plain, yes. But not "old". Migratory covers are relatively modern and suited for moving bees.


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## VanderLaan

Solomon Parker said:


> One of my longest lived lids is a piece of 1/2" plywood that used to be a sign. Never painted other than the sign on one side. Whatever it was made from, it was good stuff. It was probably more than 20 years old before I cut it up.


Most likey it was Medium Density Overlay (MDO). MDO is an exterior plywood that has a resin overlay bonded to the wood by heat and pressure. The overlay is fused with the fibers of the plywood to form a bond as strong as the wood itself. Most road signs are made from MDO (if not metal). If you can find it with the overlay on both sides, it will last close to forever with a good coat of paint.


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## camero7

What is a telescoping cover I use a flat piece of plywood, no cleats. easy to remove. I have top entrances [as well as bottom] on all hives. I use cheap cedar shingles for the top entrances. I have no moisture problems with them. All my hives are bone dry, even in this wet mild winter we're having. All hives are alive as of 2 days ago.


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## mmiller

Sheesh, I can't make up my mind regarding hive covers. I have a mix of covers from plain ol flat plywood, standard telescoping cover, migratory covers with cleats and the D.E hives style cover with a ventilation box. Eventually I'll decide which I like best and go with it. Since I enjoy working with wood during the winter so the labor of building plays no part in my decision. I like using the telescoping covers to set the boxes on during inspections so they get a slight nod right now.

Mike


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## BayHighlandBees

I have to say I just made three migratory covers with spare plywood and 1X2's. They are pretty darn good tops and free too! A migratory board is probably the easiest bee component to make. I don't have a table saw so my cuts aren't perfect. That said, its the placement of the 1X2 not the cut of the plywood that makes the top board tight. You can make your top board tighter than the factory ones so they are even less likely to blow off when non-propolized.


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