Queen excluders or no queen excluders, that is the question.  Whether
'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the stings and errors of outrageous
queen wandering or to use a simple piece of equipment to assure that
the queen stays where you want her.  The controversy will never end as
the answer depends on where you are located and the beekeeper's own
personal preference.  Some have already posted pros and cons that hinge
on where they are located and the size of their operation, some being
comfortable with the extra work involved to drive the queen back to the
brood chamber while others willingly sacrifice some of the harvest for
the convenience of being certain that the queen is in the brood chamber
and that honey supers are exclusively for honey production.  Personally
I'd rather use a queen excluder because I run two brood chambers per
colony (standard in northern climes) which provides plenty of brood
rearing and queen hiding space and I want to make certain that I don't
have to bother with brood mixed in with the honey supers.  If I am
sacrificing honey for this convenience, so be it.
 
Incidently, the original question came from Cornell University.  Dr.
Roger Morse (recently retired from Cornell) considers queen excluders a
must for beekeeping operations in the central and upstate New York area
(see _A_Year_in_the_Beeyard_), although he readily admits that results
may vary based on location and personal preference.
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!