Hi All

Just noticed your mentionings of these exluders (Mathew/Richard)

In South Africa a lot of beekeepers who keep Apis mellifera
scutellata use these entrance exluders.

I have about four or so hives that have the entrance fittings for
them but have long removed them as they really hammer the bees after
a while.

In the eucalyptus honey flow they stop unwanted swarms for short
whiles, but they seriously interfere with your bees. They rapidly
become blocked with drones, which the bees have to chew up to get
out. They make it difficult for the bees to remove dead workers, they
knock of pollen baskets and so on.

So in my opinion they are only good for short time periods, and if
you can possibly avoid using them your bees will be happier.

Keep well

Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa

Time = Honey