I have gotten requests for plans again . I hope im not being
redundant but here they are.
The object is to provide a cover to the bees that they can controll , will
not ice up, and allow the beekeeper to have a variety of ways to work with
his/her bees,including feeding.so here it is. Use it year round.
 
 
1       Take a standard inner cover  with a hole in the top,a slot in the
front lip,and a 3/8"  lip protruding up from the board.This will make a bee
space and airplenum or chamber. It is best made from 3/8" plywood.
 
2       Place the inner cover flat on a work surface , with the front slot
up. Measure the width of the slot.
 
3       Take a 1/8" plywood scrap cut it 1" wide and 2" to 3" shorter than
the inside measure of the width of the the cover.
 
4       Take your stick which is narrower than the width of the cover and
place it in the cover across the  width of the hive slightly back from the
front slot.  Leave a space between the front lip and the stick of 1 1/2" .
Center the stick so that a space of 1-1 1/2" remains between each end  and
each side wall.  Secure the stick permaently with glue, screws or some
other method.  This stick is an  air baffle to slow down air leaving the
hive.
 
5       Take a 3/8" piece of plywood and cut to fit on top of the cover.
 
6       Cut a  feeder hole in the plywood so that the hole doe not line up
with the hole in the inner cover. The new hole should be located toward the
center of the new board. This hole is for placeing a feed can on the hive.
 
7       Put a sealer on the lip of the inner cover. Put the plywood board
on the lip and screw togather tightly. Leave no air leaks around the edges.
Put more screws into the area where the air baffle stick is to secure the
stick. This will create a little cave for warm air rising from the bees to
spread out and warm the bottom part of the inner cover.  Be sure that  a
cover of some kind seals the hole in the top when a feeder can is not being
used.
 
8       Be sure to restrict the bottom opening  to a space slightly  less
than the new opening you have created.Air expands when heated this will
create a very slight pressure for the bees. If left unattended by  the bees
air will move slowly up through the  hive out the air chamber split into
two airstreams warm the bottom of the inner cover and exit.
 
9       If you feed the bees , the cluster moves up in the warm air stream
in the space under the feeder can hole and can get feed. They controll the
air flow by how many bees plug the air exits.
 
10      In summer it is an upper vent for the bees to keep themselves cool
and to dry thier honey.
 
11      Although it is not nessecary I make a plywood feeder can support
that has a bigger hole(one the size of a coffee can lid) It allows more
bees to cluster under the can.
 
12      To move the bees just tape over the vent slot in the front of the
inner cover.
 
 
 
There you go best luck
 
Jerry Fries