Queen Excluders???

[Adam Westbury]

I've heard a little from both sides as far as using or not using queen excluders between the first couple boxes and the surplus boxes above where we get our honey. Mostly just read from books, wanted to actually talk to people that have both used and not used them. Do they really inhibit honey production? If not used, will the queen get up there and lay eggs in the surplus honey comb? If eggs are layed, does that ruin the honey? Etc. etc.

[gmcharlie]

Yes they inhibit honey production and damage bee wings. If she does lay eggs in the supers, the only problem is extraction. if you let them hatch out and put her back down below they will fill with honey.

I leave excluders off. use top entrances, and if the queen moves up, when its time to extract, I move her down and put an excluder on until all the larve is hatched and gone.

[Gibbus]

IF the frames are already drawn out, the QE doesnt seem to phase them, if it's just frames with starters or foundation in the supers, they will swarm before even considering filling the supers. I dont usually put one on at all unless she starts laying north, and then I will do as described above. That one round of brood wont affect anything - they will clean and fill.

[throrope]

I'm with Gibbus. I harvest comb honey for crush and strain. I cut out any larva before crushing and don't use the honey from dark comb left from emerged bees that contain cocoons.

On year I got lazy and put the excluder under a completely empty super with only thin comb foundation. They packed the deeps to the gills and left the super just the way I placed it. If I let them work the super first as advised by a trusted codger, the workers seem to pass through the excluder as if it isn't there. Another year I didn't get the excluder on quick enough and her highness used my super as a royal ballroom for a drone laying extravaganza.

[beedeetee]

Do like I did 20 years ago. Run some with and some without them for a few years. Then decide for yourself. I run all hives with them now. I have about 1/3 of the bees in one hive right now using a small gap in two boxes for an entrance that is much narrower than an excluder gap. If you want to wait until fall to harvest honey, you might just decide to skip the cost of the excluder since they will probably be moved down by then. I harvest at the end of July and without excluders I have to sort frames sometimes up into 2-3 supers.

Anyway, there is no right answer for whether to use one or not. It is just your preference. If you do use them, do not put the excluder under foundation. Wait until they have a few frames started and then shake the bees off (or make sure that your queen isn't up there) and then add the excluder. With wet drawn frames a hive will have repaired the comb from last years extraction in a day or so and the frames will be covered with bees. I never could see any difference in honey production when I ran both with and without excluders.

[AstroBee]

Yes they inhibit honey production and damage bee wings.

If properly used it will do neither of these.

To the OP, please spend a little time with the search feature. This is probably one of the most debated topics over the years.

Not being rude, but there is a ton of information here on beesource about excluders. There was a lengthy discussion on both sides of the issue within the last couple of months.

[NasalSponge]

Run some with and some without them for a few years. Then decide for yourself.

Great advice, and if you are asking to know whether or not to spend the money....I currently do not use them but I always have a couple around as they are a great tool, useful for many things.

[Michael Bush]

Bees want a consolidated brood nest. The primary cause of the queen laying in the supers is when there is no drone comb in the brood nest and it's old comb that can't be easily reworked into drone. The supers, however, can be reworked into drone and the queen will go anywhere in the hive to lay her quota of drones.

[MrHappy]

I'm going to try excluder and top entrances. That way they don't go through them anyways. I just take a few frames out of the sides of the brood nest that have honey on them and put them above the excluder. It seems to get them to go up there.

[sfisher]

You shouldnt have to worry about the queen going up there to lay drones because you went foundationless, and they will probabbly make drone comb on your outer frames.