Gabled Roof / Top Cover - Need a Brick?

[beesharp]

Greetings,
I'm getting back into beekeeping and plan to stay around 2 hives and a couples in nucs in the backyard.

I really like the look of the copper covered angled roof top covers, but I've only ever used flat top covers or migratory covers.

I always used a rock or heavy brick of some sort on top of the hive, to keep the top from blowing off. Someone told me that and it was a habit I got into without ever having a top blow off - there was always a rock on top. If I make gabled top covers is there a need for a weight on top of the hive?

I'll be starting with 2 packages and new equipment, so won't have the "benefit" of sticky propolis to help things together.

Thanks
Jim

[D Coates]

No personal experience here but until there's some propolis in the seam where the gabled roof meets the inner cover I'd think it'd be prone to blowing off.  This is especially true as it's got substantially more surface area than a standard outer cover.  Not sure where you'd put the weight though as the rood is gabled.  Today it's getting up to 45mph gusts here and I'd be very uncomfortable with a gabled roof without propolis or a weight.

[D Coates]

Double post, sorry.

[kamie]

Not sure about needing a brick, the gabled covers I purchased from Brushy Mountain are really heavy.  A lot heavier than the standard cover. 

[KeyLargoBees]

Seriously how much does a "brick weigh"?  I am not an engineer so take this with a grain of salt....

If they are telescoping covers that fit down over the upper lip of the box I wouldn't worry and if they are heavier than normal as reported by a previous poster that makes it even less likely ...the wind may push them sideways (extremely unlikely due to exposed horizontal and vertical surface) but it would take hurricane force winds to get under the cover enough to flip it based on the very small gap between the hive body and the telescoping edge...and if its blowing that hard you should be worrying about the entire hive and stand not just the cover.

Also consider...wind speed reported for your area is typically from an anemometer up on a pole on the side of a building 15-20 off the ground...not at ground level among the trees, bushes fences and houses...so unless you hives are in the middle of an open field with 100's of yards of open space between them and the nearest windbreak you wont see those reported gusts....trust me...living on an island..... in the tropics....I do know wind ;-)

[little john]

If they are telescoping covers that fit down over the upper lip of the box I wouldn't worry and if they are heavier than normal as reported by a previous poster that makes it even less likely ...the wind may push them sideways (extremely unlikely due to exposed horizontal and vertical surface) but it would take hurricane force winds to get under the cover enough to flip it based on the very small gap between the hive body and the telescoping edge... 

I concur.  The trick is indeed to keep the 'telescope' fairly deep - say 4 or 5 inches - and the clearance gap reasonably small - I make mine about half an inch. Then, if they do get lifted upwards, the leading edge will jam, thusly:



which is the nearest a recent 80 mph gust got towards spoiling my day.

I've never put bricks on top of hives, although I do agree that they make good "this hive needs work" flags. People keep telling me that I'll lose a roof one day - but so far I never have.

An angled roof does look good, but they ain't very practical when it comes to laying 'em on the ground.

LJ

[D Coates]

An angled roof does look good, but they ain't very practical when it comes to laying 'em on the ground.

LJ

I've thought the exact same on both counts.  I normally rotate supers 45 degrees and set them on inverted outer covers to keep them out of the grass.  Can't do that with a gabled roof.

[kamie]

Just happened to notice from brushy mountain site
Gabled Roof -wt 15lbs
standard cover - wt 6lbs

standard brick - wt 5lbs