Queen Excluder - yes or no?

[Michael Bush]

I don't use them except sometimes when queen rearing.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesulbn.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#excluders

[hardwood]

I use them, but not to keep the queen out of the supers. Usually as an "includer" or when making splits.

Scott

[gov1623]

I never used one so i cant tell you if they work or not but i can tell you i never felt the need to have one for honey production. On a rare occasion i get a few patches of brood on the bottom edge of the first honey supper but that's it. As soon as the brood hatches they fill them back with honey. I use double deeps or three mediums for the brood chamber. A lot of people use excluders if they only use one deep hive body.

[patriotgirlie]

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and input.  I think I'm leaning towards not using one, at least to see what happens.  Keep the feedback coming though, I absolutely love it.  The more info I can get the better!!!


Jamie

[Parksguyy]

hello everyone,
New Cdn beek here as of last year, spend a couple of years reseaching beekeeping and took the leap last summer.  We attempted to use the excluders last summer after the hives had built up hugely, but the bees simply wouldn't go thru them.  I've read since that they will not go thru them if the comb is undrawn in the honey supers .. as was the case with ours.  This summer, the honey supers are on with no excluders, lots of action in them but the girls have yet to start building comb ... its been alittle over 3wks.  We did reverse our brood chambers this spring, we run with 2 deeps, and chances are the queen is down in the bottom at the moment.  I'm still not sure if I will eventually use the excluders yet, from what I am reading its really not a huge deal if she does lay in the honey supers.  However, we are checking the hives every week right now and keeping an eye on whats going on.     

[ronledford]

Its a tool,

 but it depends on the way you want to keep your bees

no use using it if you don't understand why or why not, and depending on what you want to achieve

mvh edward  :-P

I think it is a great tool to have in the toolbox. Recently I was creating nucs and the queen excluder was perfect for finding and then isolating the queen quickly. I put the excluder between two boxes and smoked the forgers/workers down and this made for inspecting the frames less crowded. Once I had determined she was not in any of the boxes I was working I continued to create a new nuc without concern of including her. When I was done I took the excluders with me out of the yard. Also, now that it is heating up I am using them as temp inner overs until I can get my hands on screened inner covers.

I have also heard them referred to as honey excluders.

[don2]

A few things I do "when" using one. I will have a top entrance. I have a couple I have cut short so as to leave the ends of the frames not covered. Cut it to where it will leave the ends open just past the end bars to the inside. Never had a queen to pass through one like this. Most times when I do use one, it is because the queen wants to keep coming up. I have never noticed a difference in honey production when using one, if I cut the ends and have an upper opening. I also use them to find the queen in a heavily populated hive. I am going to use one for that purpose next month when I "attack" my fierce hive to cut it down to size and manners. :roll: ;) :) d2