Still on the subject of queen excluders:
 
Once bees get used to going into a super, a queen excluder placed under
will not stop them going up.  So if you are not too experienced with bees
and yet want to keep the queen down, you can put the super on without an
excluder, then after the bees are working well in it,
 
1. place an excluder under, then check for eggs in a few days.  If there
are eggs, the queen will likely be nearby and can be placed below
easily.  Otherwise, you are okay and have a brood-free super.  In the
case there are eggs, the super will be free of brood in 3 weeks after the
queen is removed.
 
OR
 
2. shake or brush (or whatever) all or most of the bees off the frames of
the super and replace the super over the new excluder.  The bees (sans
queen) will return to the super thru the excluder in minutes.
 
If 2 (above) is done at a time when the super is ready to extract anyhow,
a new super in its plce will work fine.  Once the bees have learned their
new address upstairs, they will run right back up -- excluder or no excluder.
 
This knowledge is handy for making nucs (splits):  an empty super receives
frames from the (double) brood nests that are selected for the new split,
after the bees are lightly shaken off in front of the hive and frames are
quickly eyeballed for a queen.
 
They are replaced by empty brood frames from the super.  Any feed frames from
the new box go into the parent hive and are replaced with warm,
'conditioned' frames of feed from the parent hive.
 
The nuc (in the standard super) is then placed above an excluder on the
two broods of an existing well-poulated hive and left until the bees come
back up (sans queen).  The split can then be removed and given a queen or
cell, or left on the hive several days, if necessary.
 
On removal, two such splits can be stacked to make a strong split, or
each used separately for increase.
 
There is a lot more to it than I am willing to write right now, but
experienced beekeepers can save time and make good splits that can be
left until needed (as long as the open brood doesn't all get sealed in the
meantime).
 
Frames of brood can be pulled from several hives to make one split, if
necessary.  My policy early in the season is usually to only take one or
two frames of brood per hive.  At that time, there need to be three or
preferably four frames of brood and bees in the split to be viable 100% of
the time.
 
I choose the frames that have medium size patches of brood in varying
stages and try to include some pollen and feed as well.  Full frames of
brood may not be properly covered by the bees after being taken away, so 4
frames with 8 inch circles of brood are better than the same area on two
frames.
 
Brood must not be separated by feed frames.  Try to make up a box that
looks like the bees would have done it themselves.
 
After all, they are our teachers.
 
Allen
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK
Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0
Email:   [log in to unmask]    or   [log in to unmask]
Virtual Art Gallery: http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka
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