Queen excluder

[crispyking]

So, apart from the obvious answer, what is the queen excluder for ?
I am slightly concerned that every time I inspect my hive, I am finding dead bees in the excluder - is this natural die off (they don't seem to be old bees with frayed wings) - or could they be getting stuck and starving ?
:?

[JP]

You do know that I have a craving now for crispyking right? Here's a link that you will find useful concerning your question about excluders. Btw there are many on the site here that don't use them but perhaps sparingly. I have some, but don't use them. Here's the link: http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2008/02/lesson-24-queen-excluders-pros-cons.html

.....JP

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#excluders

[Brian D. Bray]

For the beginning beekeeper they are very good at forcing hives to swarm.

[Sean Kelly]

I asked the same question last year.  Took the advise from Michael Bush and Brian D. Bray and quit using queen excluders.  No problems here since!  Actually seems more efficient and the bees filled my supers in double time with that excluder off.  Never found any brood in my supers either (using two deeps for brood chambers).  And even if there was, that's what cheese cloth is for.  :-)

Sean Kelly

[reinbeau]

I think everyone worries about brood in honey when they first start beekeeping.  I know we did! We had a bit in a honey super or two, but it was easily dealt with.  I've never heard anything good about using excluders so we've never bothered.

[BMAC]

I found that setting the queen excluders in sideways in the beginning helped keep brood out of the honey supers as the queen tends to stay in the middle laying. After a bit I just yank the excluders out.

I have heard them refered to as bee excluders.  I have also talked with large commercial guys (2000+) colonies, and they claim the excluders greatly hinders honey production.  They simply pull the brood out of the supers and put them in a box in the yard with a new queen in it.  All of a sudden, You have a new hive.......

[Scadsobees]

Much also depends on how you beekeep.  I've used a fair amount of foundationless frames, and the bees will draw those out as drone comb.  The queen will crawl through 2 capped or open supers to lay up there if she can.  That is when an excluder comes in handy.

They come in handy.

Rick

[Brian D. Bray]

They come in handy.

Rick

I use them for 2 things: to retain a swarm so it doesn't abscond and as a drain board when working with cut comb.

[Sean Kelly]

Cut comb drainer..... that's genious!!!

Sean Kelly

[Michael Bush]

You can put them between the bees and the exit (that's on the bottom board in a standard configuration) as a "queen includer" so the queen can't get out.  But neither can the drones.  :)  It works for a couple of days to get a swarm to settle in.