Hi. We’re about to transfer our bees from their nuc to our new Flow Hive 2 (10 frame). I’m wondering if we need to use a Hive Mat under the Inner Cover to discourage them from building comb between the top of the frames and the bottom of the inner cover. Will it help or hinder? Thanks for your thoughts.
The answer to your question is, maybe. Personally I do not use hive mats but others swear by them. Its a case of suck it and see.
Cheers
Rob.
Hello and welcome to the Flow forum!
I would use one or the other. If you use a hive mat, you don’t need the inner cover. If you use the inner cover, you really don’t need a hive mat. I don’t use hive mats because they would get in the way of my beetle blaster traps. 
I would use & recommend using a hive mat in preference to using an inner cover. For several reasons:
#1. The bees will populate the frames before entering the roof. I would always recommend leaving the center plug out of an inner cover so that there is room for a population increase. That’s what I’m comparing a hive mat to.
#2 A hive mat is easier to remove, you simply peel it off.
#3 Without an inner cover, the bees propolize the roof down, whereas with an inner cover, the bees propolize it down, which leaves the roof vulnerable to high winds.
You can cut a shim from the crown board to glue under the roof, so as to maintain the integrity of the hive, which allows the operation of the flow frames.
Hi,
Do I keep the hive mat on the first box when I add the second box? Or remove ans place inside thge top box?
Hello and welcome to the Flow forum! 
The hive mat should always be on top of the uppermost box, just below the roof. If you leave it between 2 boxes, it will impede the traffic of bees into the box above it. 
Hi Dawn
I knew that would be the case and am grateful for your answer and confirmation!
I’ll swap it over tomorrow.
Thanks heaps
Kate
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