Dear All
 
My Tuppenceworth on queen excuders!
 
I have both used them and not used them, and on balance now use them all
the time.
 
If the spacing on the supers is a wide spacing and the foundation is
drawn to be deep (wide metal ends on the frames) then the queen usually
doesn't like laying in them, but I have had a real mess in my  deep
drawn super frames when the bees decided to go up top and convert these
frames to a narrower spacing by gnawing and reducing the depth of the
cells and putting  a lot of wild comb in the gaps.
 
Early in the season I use excluders to keep the queen in the bottom of
the hive, but later in the season when there is a good honey barrier
above the nest I will remove them.
 
Also...
 
Tip 1: Do not over clean the wax from the excluder, I find it takes a
long time for the bees to get the idea that they can go through a
totally clean excluder, but the wax "bridges" connecting the frames
below with the frames above, mean the bees quickly get the idea that
they can go up into the next chamber. I find this is more effective than
using "bait combs" .
(Most beekeepers I have met are obsessed with scraping everything in
sight each time they open the hive, I suppose it makes them feel
useful!)
 
Tip 2: I also rub old combs and propolis on new excluders before use, it
also helps the bees go through.
 
Tip 3: Wire excluders are a lot better than the slot variety, but if
using slots make sure they go perpendicular to the direction of the
frames.
 
Best wishes to all.
 
Steve Pearce
Kilspindie
Scotland