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Which queen excluder to get?

7K views 22 replies 20 participants last post by  RAK 
#1 ·
#13 ·
From my experience, I believe ESB is correct in that hives are more likely to swarm with an excluder. If you're going to use them, I would get the metal excluder that you can easily clean up burr comb with using a torch.
 
#10 ·
AUXCOM,

In case you didn't know, the whole QE thing is yet another one of those "3rd rail" issues in beekeeping. Almost all threads quickly devolve into the two factions. I suggest if you're curious then do a search here and prepare to spend the rest of the day reading the pros and cons of QEs.

There's also an article posted in the POV section that you may find interesting: http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/jerry-hayes/queen-excluder-or-honey-excluder/
 
#15 ·
If you want to run a two queen hive stacked its nice to have at least one wood bound one to stack two excluders together.
Otherwise the metal bound ones are fine, I clean my excluders with a torch so the plastic ones wouldn't be of any use to me.
 
#19 ·
>Hint: Wood Framed Queen Excluders breaks bee space

All of them violate bee space. The metal bound ones violate it on both sides. The wood bound ones violate it on one side. I like the wood bound ones, but have trouble finding 8 frame ones, so I use a lot of metal bound ones in queen rearing and two queen hives etc. but I generally don't use them in production.
 
#20 ·
I use the wood bound ones if I want to make cloake boards out of them. Metal ones for queen cell finishing hives or other times I need to confine the queen. Generally don't use them in most hives, unless I am manipuating them somehow. They are handy to have on hand though. you can use them on to the hives to hold newspaper and sugar off the top bars in winter. Or use to let two colonies in divided deeps mingle on top the hive. (This only works at certain times of the year though)
You can see I use a small pan head screw in the center to complete division contact. Bees mingle above for feeding or over wintering.





 
#21 ·
I am a first year beekeeper, so my opinion may not be worth a lump of coal. But, I started in April with one hive, after having caught a wild swarm. I had planned on ordering one when I got a package of bees lined up. So, I ended up with a swarm instead, and when I tried to order an excluder, everyone was out of stock.

So, my bees filled their hive body plus two supers, which we extracted, and then refilled a super. The queen never laid in the supers at all. She seems to stay down where she is "supposed" to, and lets the workers keep filling the top with honey.

As of now, my opinion is that for me, they aren't needed. I reserve the right to change my opinion at a later date though LOL.
 
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