No inner cover and propped tops

[tillie]

Sonny of the Sonny/Mel SHB trap wrote to me that he takes off the inner cover when he is using the trap because the inner cover gives the SHB another place to hide and he suggested that I do the same.  I prop the tops on all of my hives.  I'm worried that if I remove the inner cover on the three hives who have the SHB trap, that robbing will occur since the frames will be uncovered.

The current hive set up is several hive bodies, the small 3X1 constructed ring inside of which is the trap, the inner cover and the telescoping cover propped open about an inch with a stick.

Would robbing be a problem if I removed the inner cover, leaving the 3X1 ring and then the telescoping cover with the propping stick?

Linda T in Atlanta

[Robo]

Linda,

If the hive is not weak it won't be a problem.  I have a couple hives right now with no inner cover and two 1x1" sticks across the top that are long enough for the sides of the telescopic cover to rest on.  So there is a one inch space all the way around that you can look in and see the top of the frames.

[Michael Bush]

Get two shingle shims (you can buy a small bundle of them at the lumber yard for very little) and put one on each side of the top and slide the cover forward.  This leaves a 1/4" to 3/8" gap only at the front.