I like the wooden rimmed wire excluders best, possibly without
good reason.  I'm not sure the plastic ones do any tearing.
I'm sure the old galvanized excluders must be some problem to
the bees.  Last summer I had good luck (black locust, then
sourwood) with no brood in the honey supers without the use of
excluders.  I had previously had trouble with acceptance (would
unhappily find very few bees above the excluder after plenty of
time had passed).  Overcame that problem by placing a super and
waiting a week or so - then lifting it to install the excluder,
but last summer, I forgot to go back.
--
Jack Turner
Route 1, Box 657
Wise, VA  24293                        [log in to unmask]
"...there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply
messing about..."  The Water Rat in Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.