Poll: Queen Exluder Use

[bassman1977]

I can't make up my mind on whether or not I should use an exluder.  I picked up an established feral colony last night from a keeper who is getting rid of his bees.  One deep was used for brood, an exluder on top of that, and then a deep super.  Well, I wasn't very impressed with how many bees were in that deep super, not to mention there wasn't a major deal of honey in there even though they were full of drawn comb (which may or may not be from that particular hive).  Another colony of his I looked at, everything above the excluder looked great.  I've heard many who do use them and they like them and I have heard many who don't use them and just put the brood into another box when it comes time to harvest.  Whatever.  Let's see what the populus says about it.  If anyone has any suggestions on improving the poll, let me know.  Thanks for your opinion!

[thegolfpsycho]

I tried to use excluders when I first got into bees.  I didn't have alot of success getting them to draw comb, or move up.  Probably alot of it was inexperience, but my mentor at the time was firmly against using them.  He called them honey excluders, felt they added more labor to an already labor intensive business, and retarded colony development.  About the same time, I read about what they called the "unlimited broodnest."  I decided it was the way to go and so I went.  1 big colony will make more honey than 2 average colonys, so my mantra became "fill er up big girl"

[Michael Bush]

I used one in 1974.  I haven't really since except on rare occasions that I needed to keep a queen in one place, like preventing absconding, keeping a two queen hive or finding a hard to find queen.

I don't see a category that would match any of that.  Hardly ever and not if I can help it would be what I'd say.

[GeeBeeNC]

I've yet to own a bee.  I've purchased my equipmnet and am awaiting someone in the club to have a split or two during the flow lull.  

I purchased a couple excluders to use for locating the queen when making a split since my hive bodies will be two mediums(a decision I made before I found this board but thanks Mike for the reassurance on the choice!).  Does that make sense?   What other reasons are there or might there be for an excluder?  Educate this rookie.

GeeB, who didn't vote.

[Michael Bush]

>I've yet to own a bee.

Me neither.  Although I've had some that lived in my equipment off and on for 31 years.  :)

>I purchased a couple excluders to use for locating the queen when making a split since my hive bodies will be two mediums(a decision I made before I found this board but thanks Mike for the reassurance on the choice!).

Good choice.

>Does that make sense?

To use it to find a queen?  You really should get good at spotting her, but sometimes it's handy.

> What other reasons are there or might there be for an excluder?

On the bottom board as an includer when installing a package.  As a seperator for doing two queen hives.  In queen rearing so you don't have to work so hard when you need to find the queen and open brood more often than normal.  When queen rearing to keep the queen below when doing a queen right cell finisher.  When regressing to keep the queen on the small cell while you cull out the large cell.  When shaking packages so you don't accidently get a queen in the package.  When doing shaken swarms or setting up mating nucs so you don't acdidently take the queen out of the hive.  To filter out drones so you don't take them to your mating yard.

[thegolfpsycho]

M. B. mentioned all the good uses for queen excluders except 1.  They are great for cooling freshly baked bread, fresh from the oven.

[TwT]

1 more good reason to use a excluder is to put it between your BB and  1st brood chamber  during winter to keep the mice from tearing up your comb, you can also put another on the very top if you also have a top entrance,