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Author Topic: Queen excluder to use or not to use  (Read 5438 times)

Offline Simondsrach

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Queen excluder to use or not to use
« on: March 15, 2017, 11:44:23 am »
I'm thinking about buying a queen excluder to add to my hive ... good idea or bad... what would be the down fall if any

Offline iddee

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2017, 11:53:29 am »
Ask 9 beekeepers.
3 will say use them.
3 will say don't.
3 will say either/or.
I suggest not using them the first 2 years you keep bees. They do have limitations you need to learn before using them.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline Simondsrach

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2017, 12:03:49 pm »
I'm finding this true with any thing I research. 

Offline iddee

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2017, 12:11:54 pm »
Many times a 20 year beekeeper will not remember how little he knew the first year, so advises as if the newbee has been at it for years.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline mikecva

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2017, 12:31:42 pm »
Most Russian bees I have had were larger then the average Italian bee. I do not use an excluder with the larger bees but I do use an excluder on all of my Italian hives.  -Mike
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2017, 12:50:25 pm »
I do not use them to keep the q out of supers.
If the queen does not have enough room to lay eggs it will cause swarming. Sometimes the bees will not move up and it will cause swarming
If you forget and leave it on for winter you could trap your queen below it and kill her during the middle of winter.
It slows the bees trying to get to the supers with nectar.
Just a few reasons.
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Online gww

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2017, 01:38:58 pm »
I would think they are useful for some hive manipulations and maby in making splits or a queen.
Cheers
gww

Offline Simondsrach

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2017, 01:57:06 pm »
I have a bottom entrance.   I saw something about adding another entrance before the honey supers ... that the sun light at the top entrance keeps the queen from wanting to travel up .... I'd hate to use an excluder and block bees or irritate the bees would a second entrance be a helpful solution as long as I removed it before winterizing

Offline bwallace23350

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2017, 02:02:31 pm »
I am not using them but I am also not worried about making comb honey. They are only really needed if you are making comb honey.

Offline little john

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2017, 06:20:58 pm »
Ask 9 beekeepers.
3 will say use them.
3 will say don't.
3 will say either/or.

And if you ask 10 ... one (this one) will say that if you intend using a queen excluder, consider using a  plywood Q/X - which has the advantage of not being bee-size-dependent; doesn't interfere very much with traffic flow; and doesn't damage wings ... and it's yet another piece of beekeeping kit you can make yourself for next to nothing.

Not recommended if you need to keep two queens apart, but ideal if you just want to keep the queen from entering a specific box.
LJ
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Offline cao

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2017, 10:05:28 pm »
I guess I'm one of the three beekeepers that don't use them.  Five years in and I have not found that I have needed one yet.  As far as entrances, I use a bottom entrance reduced to 2 or 3 inches long all year. 

Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2017, 08:25:16 am »
Queens left in the bottom don't die over winter, we have 300 hives that run excluders ( steel) and a friend who runs 1600 hives run QX all year round.
If it gets cold bees will wax them over to keep warm. If there are not enough bees in late Autumn we will take the super off and pack them down to a single for winter.
If you run a few hives and take individual frames to harvest honey then a QX may not be necessary. Without a QX we could not harvest honey by taking the whole super home to extract.
If you take the super off and there are bees on the QX, a puff of smoke and those varmits are through that QX pretty quick, maybe we have smaller bees in Oz.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2017, 12:21:42 pm »
maybe we have smaller bees in Oz.
No, you have a much shorter and warmer winter.  The OP is from Waverly NY.  If you use an excluder don't leave it on in NY.
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Offline Hops Brewster

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2017, 03:10:39 pm »
I don't use QE routinely, but they can come in handy sometimes, so I keep a couple on hand.
Winter is coming.

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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #14 on: March 17, 2017, 12:20:04 am »
I sometimes use them under the bottom box to keep the queen of a new swarm in the hive long enough to let the bees to start building comb. If you do this, don't forget to remove it within a week  in case you have a virgin queen.
Jim
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Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #15 on: March 17, 2017, 07:49:57 am »
Of topic but if you want a swarm to stay give them a frame of brood and this seems to stick them.

Offline GSF

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #16 on: March 17, 2017, 08:26:06 am »


ditto, except I usually pull it off in 3 days and feed during those 3 days. I figure if they start putting up stores they have an investment in it.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #17 on: March 17, 2017, 12:42:48 pm »
In a weeks time their stomachs are empty from building the comb. If there is not enough food in the hive for them to fill up on they cannot swarm again until they have built up their stores. By this time they have brood to anchor them.
Jim
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Offline William F Abell Jr

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #18 on: March 17, 2017, 07:58:49 pm »
I use them in making splits to help locate the queen. Also, use them in the spring nectar flow coupled with Imirie shims. At harvest time they are used again to make sure I have isolated the queen below. Often, to harvest I blow some of the bees out of the supers and I don't want to worry about the queen. After harvest and any last splits, I remove them. The fall flow is for the bees so QE's are not needed.

Offline yes2matt

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Re: Queen excluder to use or not to use
« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2017, 03:38:15 pm »
Ask 9 beekeepers.
3 will say use them.
3 will say don't.
3 will say either/or.

And if you ask 10 ... one (this one) will say that if you intend using a queen excluder, consider using a  plywood Q/X - which has the advantage of not being bee-size-dependent; doesn't interfere very much with traffic flow; and doesn't damage wings ... and it's yet another piece of beekeeping kit you can make yourself for next to nothing.

Not recommended if you need to keep two queens apart, but ideal if you just want to keep the queen from entering a specific box.
LJ
LJ you don't get to just post a good idea like that without a pic or a link!!! :)  Some of us are trying to learn here.

Edit: I'm guessing the "plywood" option mentioned here. I also wonder about the fertilizer sack option, seems pretty smart if it works.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/excludertypes.html