I have been using innter covers I made with two holes to accept a quart jar for feeding and put #8 wire so I wont get bees in my face when changing jars. I did not make any exit/entrance in these covers. From mid summer on I left them on and shimmed little space between the top cover and this innter cover, seemed to work, keeps robbers out of the top.
Even with the covers that have a exit/entrance looks to me like most of the bees bring stuff in still use the bottom entrance. Any problems you see in using screened/ no exit covers that I've not thought about?
dan
Ants building nests on the inner cover if the bees can't get there to run them out. Then going down and robbing the honey. They have been known to rob hives to death.
A keeper I know makes his inner covers with no notch on the side of cover but has a bee escape hole in the top. He places a thumb tack on each corner of the cover. Sometimes he puts a small washer under the cover. He has found this provides enough ventilation. He is also located in SC.
Thanks for the replies
Think I'll try it each way and see what happens. I think thats the fun thing about this hobby, must be a 1000 ways to keep bees.
sc-bee how is the flow over your way, my bees are packing it in right now, capping some I looked at yesterday.
dan