[DennisT]

If I take the queen excluders out (kept over 2 brood boxes) will it be a pain when it comes to extracting time? Will she generally/naturally stay in the bottom 2-3 brood booxes?
It's a short foraging season here so getting up to 3 brood boxes would be nice but it's also not all that likely. Thanks.

 

[DennisT]

Also- when doing this, and having them into the super above- would it be best to give them an empty super directly above the nest so they don't become hindered by any honey storage above? Thanks again.

 

[JohnK and Sheri]

We run excluders for this very reason, it makes extracting so much easier. If we had to wait til the brood all hatched to start extracting it would run too late into the year. 2 deep brood boxes is plenty room for her as long as there is sufficient honey super space.
There is much disagreement on the use/nonuse of excluders. I hope someone will jump in with the cons.
Sheri

 

[Cz's Beez]

I dont use excluders anymore. I found that the bees just dont move well to the super even with a vent hole drilled in the handle of the super. I removed mine and the queen did move in to the super and laid eggs. I dont know how big of an operation you are running but with a small operation it takes no effort to handle this. I had 2 frames with egg in them. I just pulled the other seven and extracted them. After extraction I placed the seven frames back in the super "wet" still and within 7 to 10 days the super was filled again and the eggs were hatched so I added supers and will extract again this week. I will never use an excluder again.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Will she generally/naturally stay in the bottom 2-3 brood booxes?

She will expand into as many boxes as she needs and lay drone wherever she can find a place. If you let them have drone comb in the brood nest, that will be in the brood nest.

I don't use excluders except occasionally in queen rearing.

 

[Ruben]

>If you let them have drone comb in the brood nest, that will be in the brood nest.


MB on natural drawn comb will they draw all the drone comb they need down in the brood nest? Also you must have been real busy lately because it seems like you have not been around here as much. I enjoy and learn a lot from your posts.

 

[Michael Bush]

>MB on natural drawn comb will they draw all the drone comb they need down in the brood nest?

Almost always.

> Also you must have been real busy lately because it seems like you have not been around here as much.

True. Rearing queens, work, family and horses, have kept me busy most nights lately until I'm too exhausted to get caught up here.

> I enjoy and learn a lot from your posts.

I'm glad.

 

[Jeffrey Todd]

>True. Rearing queens, work, family and horses, have kept me busy most nights lately until I'm too exhausted to get caught up here.

This from a man who has still posted over 2,300 times more than I have in the same few months. Do you sleep, Michael?

> I enjoy and learn a lot from your posts.

So do I. You are a nice guy to learn from.

 

[AstroBee]

I'd say that I use them around 90% of the time and can't say that I've seen much difference either way. Just yesterday I got a good look at bees moving effortlessly through the excluder. They barely slowed down going through it. I'm experimenting with a super slightly offset from the excluder so you can actually see the wire without opening the hive. I was really surprised how easily they can move through one.