Migratory Lids Vs Telescopic Lids
Topics Beekeepers Can't Agree On!
By: Lynne Jones
Last month we found beekeepers have a pretty clear preference on bottom boards, the obvious next question is: Which is better, telescopic, or migratory covers? On October 30th, I asked this question in two Beekeeping Facebook groups* and about twenty beekeepers gave their answer. Of the 20, ten prefer telescopic and seven prefer migratory. (Three either like both or don’t have a preference one way or the other.)
Ten versus seven. Not exactly clear-cut results. However, through the comments, we see that each cover has its pros and cons – and beekeepers aren’t in disagreement about the pros and cons. Roy Fuentes likes both and he sums up the key benefit of each saying, “I like the weather protection of the telescopic, but I like the simplicity of the migratory.”
This made me wonder why some choose simplicity over weather protection. Do women prefer one and men the other? Is it the age of the beekeeper or years of experience? With a well-funded grant, I no doubt could thoroughly study, analyze, and report on this issue. But for now, I will share my unscientific conclusion…
Of the seven beekeepers preferring migratory covers, at least five of them have hives in multiple bee yards, some of which are spread out over several counties. In their boots, I’d choose simplicity too.
* Links to Facebook poll threads: Texas Friendly Beekeepers - Click Here Central Texas Beekeepers - Click Here
