Hello Lowell and all,
 
The beeway I referr to is simply a 3/4" wide by 5/16" strip that is fastened to the lid on the inside surface to hold the lid off the top of the frames below by at least a 'bee space' (considered to be 1/4" to 3/8").
 
The need for this beeway is dictated by your equipment.  The hive body you put the frames in is supposed to be 5/16" deeper than the frames used in it, in order that when the body (box) is stacked on another the bees will not glue it together or fill it with bur comb.  The rabbit that the frames hang from determines where the bee space is located.  It can be at the top, at the bottom, or split between top and bottom.
 
Proper inner covers provide, when used with the body design intended, a bee space across the top of the combs.  Many colonies leave this space alone, some go ahead and glue it and burr it up. Usually because we messed up the bee space somehow.
 
Because this bee space is messed up so often, I like to put a beeway under a migratory top.  This ensures that there is AT LEAST a normal beeway.  When working colonies it makes the top easier to remove.  Burr comb (if present) is soft and easy to pull apart.  I scrape the tops and frame top bars clean into a bucket, so the next time I open that hive, I know if they are pulling wax or not immediatly.  In winter it seems to help with ventilation and allows the cluster to move sideways to stores easier (I think <G>).
 
Sorry if I got a little windy here, once I get going....
 
Saw a tee shirt once, it said:  "Help!  I've started talking and can't stop!"  I should get one of those.
 
 
Dennis Morefield
Sideline Beekeeper,  100 colonies(at times!), Oregon, USA
[log in to unmask]