Not an expert by any means, but I have found that in general, an excluder is problematic if there is nothing above it to attract the girls to go through. New foundation above an excluder is the worst!
I don't use excluders, but recommend to folks that do to leave them off until the bees start working the frames and drawing the wax. OR, if you have drawn comb, uncapped honey, or are brave enough to put a bit of uncapped brood above an excluder, that helps the process along very nicely.