Sealing the inner cover and outer cover keeps out ants (usually) but it
also stops all air flow upward and out in the colony.  In the summer (in
Indiana) I went so far as to place blocks between the inner and outer
covers to increase the volume of air flow possible up through the hive
and out the top.  Comments?   MIKE   Suagr Land, TEXAS   [log in to unmask]
 
On Mon, 10 Jul 1995, Bill Miller wrote:
 
> Paul,
>
> I use plywood inner covers and they tend to get ants.   To control the ants,
> I seal all the joints in the inner cover with propolis (just like the bees
> would if they could get to the joints), and I also turn over the inner cover
> every so often so the bees can get to the ants.
>
> Saw a lot of other good ideas posted.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Bill Miller
> Gaithersburg, MD
>