[Special thank-you note to Betty McAdams on Kangaroo Island, and a tip to anyone else interested in good bee-gadgets.] Dear Betty - Some few weeks ago you suggested that I nail an excluder to the bottom of a deep box, and shake brood-frames into it when I go queen-hunting. It works very well. I usually put another box containing a few frames of brood under the "strainer", and smoke the bees down out of the "strainer" every two or three frames. I lined the "strainer" with thin sheet aluminum to reduce the tendency of the bees to cluster on the sides and corners. It helps a little, but not very much. Thanks very much for the idea. The "strainer" now resides in my truck full-time. Walter Weller Post Office Box 270 Wakefield, Louisiana 70784 <[log in to unmask]>