Anyone use a queen excluder side ways between brood & honey supers. I did a few hives this way last season & had no problem with the queen laying in the honey super. They did not seem to have a problem occuping the super.
Been done for years.
Richard Bonney wrote about it as a old practice in 1990.
Bee-Bop
Thanks for the reply on the time peroid, i read about this about three years ago. What i didn't make clear was what others experiences were with this method.
I've heard of it,but didn't think much of it. I have several outyards and don't get two some of them for weeks at a time. To me it looks like a way to help robbers (if it starts) and gives shb's another entrance, but if it works for you ,do it. :bee:
I haven't tried turning an excluder 90 degrees, but I have thought about trying it with some of my plastic excluders. It can be flat miserable trying to remove the super directly above the broodnest when the bees have propolis glued the plastic excluder to frames in both boxes. If the plastic excluder was turned 90 degrees, it would make it a little easier to separate the boxes.
Woodbound excluders are fairly easy to break free, since the bees use burr comb to attach it to the frames, rather than using propolis like they do with the plastic excluders. I would be hesitant to turn a wood bound excluder 90 degrees - the bees may end up making a mess in the larger gap.
What do you plan to gain by turning the excluder 90 degrees?
I used both plastic & wire bound exc. My honeyflow ends in late july when it is hot enough for the propolis to be soft. A slow lift on one side & the exc. came free ok. The last two years my honey flow has been lower than average. I had read that they would pass through the open ends moore & occupy the supper easer. The queen most of the time enters the super in the middle. I like wood bound exc. placed normal for a heavy honey flow.
I have a couple of queen excluders some place around here, they're probably full of cob webs and rusted up. I can't remember the last time I used a queen excluder, been too long.
Personally so far I've found the best use of the queen excluder to be a drain rack for cut comb honey - it's perfect for that!
Linda T in Atlanta
I use them for cut comb also. I didn't use them much for years, but i am attempting to get a better grade of honey & extracting combs. Combs that have had brood raised in them attract the wax worm. I don't like to treat combs if possable. I do not want to convert anyone. You should use what works best for you. I think area & honey flow has much to do with how well the exc. works'