[fatscher]

...anyone want to impart their wisdom on how it's used. I understand it is used to lure nurse bees up from a queenright body down below to populate a queenless starter colony (which has uncapped larvae).

The piece of sheet metal (used to shut off the queen excluder portion), should it be inserted with the lip curling up or down?

 

[wildbranch2007]

here is one of the discussions about it, the last entry has a pointer to a site that gives a good description of how to use.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230873&highlight=Cloake+Board

THey used to send a copy of sue colby's article to tell you how to use it? If they did and I send you a self address'd stamped envelope, would you send me a copy, I can't find the article any more.

mike syracuse

 

[BeeAware]

The Cloake board in and of its self will not entice young bees up into an upper chamber. This is accomplished by moving frames of young, unsealed brood up from the bottom box where the queen is confined by the Cloake Board. Nurse bees will enter the top box through the queen excluder which is a part of the board. The board is used so that you can effortlessly go from a queenright colony to a queenless colony without having to move the frame of queen cells back and forth which interrupts the larval feeding.

The sheet metal is inserted with the lip downward so as to create an upper entrance. The goal is to have a very strong population of bees in the upper box to care for the developing queens. The sheet metal insert is not the best design because it is sometimes difficult to get it all the way in. A better design is the Cloake Board that has grooves in the side rails so that a thin peice of wood can be inserted to close the board.

 

[fatscher]

The Cloake board in and of its self will not entice young bees up into an upper chamber. This is accomplished by moving frames of young, unsealed brood up from the bottom box where the queen is confined by the Cloake Board. Nurse bees will enter the top box through the queen excluder which is a part of the board.

True. I mispoke when I implied the Cloake Board lures any bees. You're right, and I knew that. The Cloake board takes advantage of the nurse bees' instinct to care for young larvae by helping to ensure the top box has a healthy supply of caretakers for a young queen(s).

The sheet metal is inserted with the lip downward so as to create an upper entrance. ... ...The sheet metal insert is not the best design because it is sometimes difficult to get it all the way in.

Now, THIS is the answer. Thank you. Was very confused by how the sheet metal insert is used, but your description makes perfect sense.