I find that old carpeting (available free from carpet stores. They're happy to have someone take away the old stuff that they've pulled up from jobs) laid down around the hives works just great. I weigh it down with bricks at the corners. It last forever! At first I put it colored side up, but the colors were so dreadful that I turned it upside down. The jute backing is a nice, natural color and blends with the landscape. It cuts very nicely with a razor. I find that strips about 4-5 feet wide do the trick, all around, in front and back and inbetween. No need to use Roundup Faith Andrews Bedford Ivy VA and Tampa