POLL - Queen Excluders

[D Coates]

Be really careful there Moots.  When T Beek realizes he's not going to get his way in a disagreement you may get called an "internet bully".

I answered used to use, but stopped.  I learned that you don't need it for comb honey and the bees work faster when there's no barrier.  I will on occasion use them for finishing open Q-cells I grew in cell starters otherwise they sit off to the side in my operation.

[Moots]

Be really careful there Moots.  When T Beek realizes he's not going to get his way in a disagreement you may get called an "internet bully".

Don't I know it!  :laugh:

I answered used to use, but stopped.  I learned that you don't need it for comb honey and the bees work faster when there's no barrier.  I will on occasion use them for finishing open Q-cells I grew in cell starters otherwise they sit off to the side in my operation.

** emphasis added

D, about this...Can you elaborate, I've never done comb honey, but would like to give it a try.  I've notice that in the QE conversations, a lot of people make the comment that they don't use them..."except for when doing comb honey".

I really haven't had an issue with my queens going into my honey Supers, which I think is the experience of most people, in most cases....So, why is comb honey different?  If there some different dynamic, or do they just not want to chance it? 

Thoughts?

[D Coates]

My 2 cents they don't want to risk it.  I know that was how I was when I first started out 7 years ago.  What I do now is put a drawn super over the brood nest then put a comb honey frame above that.  The drawn super acts like a buffer and as it fills with honey the bees are pushed up and begin to draw out the comb honey frames.  When the center ones get drawn out, move the lesser drawn ones on the side into the center.  

Comb honey isn't easy but it's not as hard to do as some folks make it out to be.  It's relatively profitable because it's not easy so it's not everywhere.  When done right it's beautiful, when done wrong it's still extracted honey. Now I only make 2-3 supers worth of comb honey a year that I use in 4"x4" and chunk honey.  I've got 20 hives but I'm going to 25 in 2014.  I'm down to 5 4x4's and 8 chunk honeys so I'll be upping my comb production by another couple supers at the least as well as trying a Ross round set up (hence the Ross label post).

[10framer]

you don't want old cocoons in comb honey.  the excluder is just insurance of that but it's not guaranteed.  i had a few cut comb supers this year and ended up with a laying worker above the excluder in a hive with a healthy queen, go figure.
if you're just producing bulk comb honey there's no magic, either use no foundation or thin surplus foundation.  the ross rounds and similar products may require a little more work but i can't say because i never used them.  
you want to use the hives that produce the whitest wax for comb honey, that's the appeal of the old black bees that we used to call germans.  they were mean as all get out but they made really pretty cappings.
you can do exactly what d was saying and keep the queen out more than 90 percent of the time.  it would be really labor intensive to do that with hundreds of colonies compared to slapping an excluder on, though.  

[T Beek]

Be really careful there Moots.  When T Beek realizes he's not going to get his way in a disagreement you may get called an "internet bully".

I answered used to use, but stopped.  I learned that you don't need it for comb honey and the bees work faster when there's no barrier.  I will on occasion use them for finishing open Q-cells I grew in cell starters otherwise they sit off to the side in my operation.

Oh boy….Couldn't resist that urge to open old wounds heh D? 

Well…if the shoe belongs on the foot but is a better fit in the mouth  :-D….there's no telling how one may respond to someone (internet bully or not) carrying an 'old grudge"………. :shock:  Check "this" out…..

How long are you gonna carry that cross?  It must be getting heavy by now.  I promise I'm not worthy of the power you're 'giving' me, power that I don't want….….Besides, its not healthy for you…….please just let it go….you'll feel better  :) in the long run……. :)

"ignoring those you disagree with is an exercise worthy of exploration if you can't get your point across without ridiculing those whom you disagree" 

Personally, I prefer an 'open' mind/ BIG picture approach….to most discussions.  Do you SEE where that has gotten me around here????   :laugh: :laugh:

Yep-its too easy to be a 'tough guy' or an 'expert' on the internet……..this place in particular seems to be loaded with em'……….. :roll:

[D Coates]

T Beek, A simple "I'm sorry" will do. Otherwise by the length of the response to one sentence it appears I'm not the one carrying the cross.

Moots, 10-framer is right in that if you were a commercial producer an excluder would be easier.  Out of the 4 years I've done it this way I've gotten some cocoons in 2 of my comb honey frames (ironically it was this year).  They were drones and it was about 20 in a cluster per respective frame.  I cut around them and moved on.  I normally have 90 frames of comb a year, 4 years, comes to a +/-99.5% success rate at keeping the queen out.  I do it small scale, and I may simply be lucky though.