If you cut back as much as you can and as low as you can, get old carpets -not the rubber backed stuff - and lay this over the area.
They can be held down around the edges with pallets or use a spade to cut a wedge /opening in the soil and push the edges into it and use another bit of soil to hold it in place.
Through the coming months of winter the growth will be dying back and by not getting any light, having weight on it will help flatten it.
When you decide do do some work on it, you can roll back the carpet in the area you want to work, rake away the debris and turn the soil over and remove weed roots as you go.
By doing this you can just clear a path to your hive area and also the hive area or do the whole area - saves a lot of work in the spring /summer when the plants are growing strong and weakens them now making life easier for you.
The carpets can be had for free from skips and also off of freecycle.
Also, depending on what the land owner is willing to let you do with the land, you can leave the carpets in place and plant through them by cutting holes in it - you can grow a multitude of vegetables and flowers and have very lttle weeding or watering to do as it acts as a mulch as well.
Just a couple of thoughts,
the bhoy
