> I am not really sure I agree with that assessment as a blanket
> statement. So long as there is plenty of forage for your bees, the more
> bees you have, the more honey you get.

I did not make it as a blanket statement and the reverse applies where I do
not believe a blanket statement can be used to say it is better without
excluders.  The more bees I have the more honey I get with excluders and,
provided of course, there is producing blossom to work.

> As far as I know, and according to most commercial beekeepers that I
> know. Queen excluders are these days most often use by hobbyists and
> smaller operations. The largest operations avoid them as an added
> expense and increase of labor.

This is in your part of the world.  In our part of the world large
operations use excluders.  I am unaware of anyone running a commercial
operation that does not use excluders.  If they did not they could not
produce honey in the quantities they do without excluders given current
prices and labour costs.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA

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