Great information thanks. What style of queen excluder works best? I have wire wooden framed ones at the moment but just thinking due to the rebate joints on the poly they might not lock in? What do you think?
Unframed wire excluders are best for this hive. Plastic or other flimsy type excluders would likely sag down and framed wire excluders will double the top bee space leading to the bees building brace comb.
Personally, I usually paint them with Ronseal Garden Paint because of the colour choice. Cuprinol do something similar, but I haven't tried it. Any water based gloss usually goes on ok. A cheaper alternative is to just paint with masonry paint and it works fine. Do paint though, because UV from the sun degrades the poly if it's not painted.
Thanks for the advice 👍
Great information thanks. What style of queen excluder works best? I have wire wooden framed ones at the moment but just thinking due to the rebate joints on the poly they might not lock in? What do you think?
Unframed wire excluders are best for this hive. Plastic or other flimsy type excluders would likely sag down and framed wire excluders will double the top bee space leading to the bees building brace comb.
What do you use to paint them?
And which exactly queen excluder works best?
Personally, I usually paint them with Ronseal Garden Paint because of the colour choice. Cuprinol do something similar, but I haven't tried it. Any water based gloss usually goes on ok. A cheaper alternative is to just paint with masonry paint and it works fine. Do paint though, because UV from the sun degrades the poly if it's not painted.
I use standard sized national wired excluders; the unframed ones. Works fine for me.