a Geoff Manning snip..

We have to be careful in the spring
if lifting brood above the excluder.  Not too bad if in the first super,
very likely to have cells started if in a second or third super.

my comments...
In some years (I am not always consistent in a managerial senses year to year) I use a lot of excluders in producing a very small honey crop here.  I use these much in the fashion Jerry Hayes describes in his article from the ABJ way back in the mid 1980 with the title 'is a queen excluder a honey excluder'.  I have noticed the same issue as you mention above so imho yes you need to be very careful in constructing artificial barriers within a bee hive.

Gene in central Texas 

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