Musings on Queen Excluders
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2021
- Thoughts on using queen excluders for beginning beekeepers. Plastic vs metal queen excluders, pros and cons of using queen excluders and more.
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If you don’t have drawn comb will the bees draw out foundation above a queen excluder?
I forgot to mention that although bees will go through excluders with foundation above they are very much less inclined to do so. It helps to add a few drawn combs to bait them up.
Bob has way more experience than me…..however, i will add to what he said. If you pull a few frames of brood up they are more inclined to do so.
I have found being a first-year beekeeper and not having the availability of drawn comb frames, applying a few coats of beeswax to your frames give the bees the incentive to go up. Also, adding a medium box of heavily waxed frames above an excluder, in the beginning, letting the bees start their honey suppers and then removing the excluder after having the honey bridge allows the bees work faster on the next suppers above that.
@@decaturridgebees8761 But Michael Bush said that any time eggs are put above a QE, they make queen cells with them.....
@@bc2578 not always true but sometimes. Just go back and see if they do.
Good Morning Bob! I'm so glad that this video showed up in my recommended list today. You've done such a fantastic job in presenting a balanced view of things to consider with queen excluders. I'm in 100% agreement with you that they are not always needed, but may be critical in some configurations and with new beekeepers until they have figured out how things work. I particularly enjoyed that you showed the space between the QE and top bars of the frames. I've had plastic QEs get glued down and the workers set about filling the gaps greatly reducing pathways through. I favor the metal units if and when I need to use one. Because I review equipment, I test it with the gear that comes with it for a proper evaluation and that's what led me to observe bees attempting to get through the openings, many workers struggled for a considerable amount of time before finally getting through or giving up. Excellent presentation all the way around. I've often said that commercial beekeepers wouldn't risk working without a QE, now that I've watched this I know I was incorrect on that. This is a video I'll be sending my viewers to for sure. You're an extraordinary asset to the beekeeping educational community. Thank you for being here. Fred I was hoping to hear my name in the beginning! Can't win them all :)
P.S. I know this isn't a Flow-Hive channel, but many people who can't get bees to work the Flow-Frames and wax them up, don't realize that 90% of the time, it's due to the queen excluders adding that barrier (specifically those provided with the FH units). When the plastic QEs are not in place at the beginning, the bees accelerate their working of the Flow-Frames and once they begin putting resources in the cells, that's when the QE can go back on and they will continue to work. Just speeds things up in my opinion and based on my small-scale evaluations.
Man you gotta Love Mr Bob!!! He will shoot you straight and isn’t worried about trying to sell you on anything, he just simply tells you the pros/cons of everything he discusses. There’s a wealth of knowledge we are able to get from this gracious man!! Thanks so much!
Hi from BC. Great videos. You summarize a subject in an easy to understand style. Thanks for your efforts!
This is a great, jam-packed, video about Queen excluders. Thank You! I've done more splits and captured more swarm then I expected this spring, so I have run out of Queen excluders. I'm trying to use a honey super, full of nectar, as a block to stop the queen from moving up out of my single deep brood box.
I don't care if there's a million videos on a topic, I want Mr. Binnie's opinion on it.
We did a quick google video search. "About 4,730 results ". Wow.
Really appreciated the spacing measurement.
Thank you Bob for taking the time to do this video!
Those storage cubes are great.
Hello again on this video about using queen excluder. I have came up with a new plan about using them an I know it is extra work but i my self have time . All my hives I run eight frames so I was really unsure just how often a queen may get up in the supers so what I have changed is after my excluders are on an the bees are getting quite a bit of nectar in the colony an I know the queen will not come up a the bees has got some nectar in all the cells I will go back in an remove the queen excluders that way she will not have a empty cell to lay in an if it does slow the bees down by removing them that takes that away. Just giving it a try . An yes I run all wood rim excluders an love them . I hope you have a great season as everyone else also . THANKS
Great job Bob you really have shown the difference between the different Queen excluders👍👍👍👍👍
I have been using queen excluders ever since I began beekeeping roughly 10 years ago. I find them a brilliant 'management' tool for my hobby beekeeping as it allows me to control where the queen can roam, and no less where she can expand the brood nest. This means that I never get brood in my honey frames, always know where my queen is, and I think it is beneficial when treating for Varroa mites too - depending on treatment method - as I can limit the brood nest to e.g. single or double deeps. I have tried all the different types and personally favour the wood framed excluders with stainless steel wire frames. My hives have bottom bee space, but the wood frame raises the excluder by a bee space over the top bars of the frames below, reducing the squashing of bees and will even allow for flat pollen patties to be placed straight onto the top bars. I obviously remove the queen excluders when I have finished treating the colonies and made them ready for winter, allowing the queen to roam freely until spring.
Another great and educational video. Thanks for spending your valuable time making these.
First year keeper, continually looking for good info done well. I’m a new fan of Mr Binnie.
A QE is not needed in most situations. One exception is in double queen colonies to keep the two from coming into contact with each other. And I discovered the first time I set up a double to make sure to pull the edge back from flush with the box about 3/4 ". This way the drones could get around where they want without clogging up the worker space and creating a real mess. My workers were less likely to be demoralized and nasty during a strong nectar flow, which is the only time I would consider a double. I could pull capped combs every three or four days, making for a good amount of work and extracting at night so I'd have wet combs ready at all times. I would guess I got enough combs to fill about 4 or 5 9 frame medium supers from each double. Give or take 90 combs made for a lot of honey. There had to be enough rain followed by warm sunny days. I never saw 2 years exactly the same. We didn't have SHB or Varroa mites in those days. Bob in MT.
My personal experience is not much but I did learn something on this subject which I will share. I put excluders on all my hives at the beginning of the season, some were metal, some were plastic. The hives with metal excluders were fine, no problems. The hives with plastics excluders, excluded all bees from going to the supers. I switched the plastic excluders with metal excluders and everything was fine from the on.
I think it an issue of the jaggedness of the openings in the plastic excluders, whereas the metal exluders are smooth. The bees don't seem to mind the metal ones, but won't go through the plastic ones.
There may be some plastic ones out there that are smooth, but the ones I had were not. The ones I used were the "Little Giant Queen Bee Excluder" and I'm glad I only bought three of them.
I use a queen excluder after honey harvest. I run double brood but after honey supers are pulled I put queen in bottom brood box and use the queen excluder to ensure the 2nd box is full of stores for winter. Remove excluder just before cluster temps kick in.
Great video, Bob! Very balanced and level-headed look at the subject.
I like Ian's setup, so I've been working to mirror it the past few years. I used to run doubles and never saw a need for excluders. As you said, singles with no excluder is a guaranteed way to end up with brood in the supers, so I use them under supers. They also make spring splits quick and easy.
As with most beekeeping topics, there are many, many opinions and no one right answer
Never discount the value of your unique opinion or experience Bob, or the draw of a video topic! Lol
Since none of us are in exactly the same weather conditions, with the same size of operation, focus, manpower, etc etc, none of us can follow the methods of any of you exactly, and so being able to hear the many different ways it can be done allows us to better understand the topic and be able to develop our own plan pulling from all the various options that you and others present.
I especially appreciate how you explain the large topic, and present several sides of the debate, and then show what you do, and explain the reasons for your method in your circumstances.
I have to say that I think this is one of the best Queen Excluders 101 videos I have seen,, because you start out showing the different styles, giving slot measurements etc, and really give a great overview of the subject.
Thanks. I'm surprised at the response to this video.
We are using metal excluders as well, our bees makes more honey this way. Greetings from Turkey. I am following your channel. Thank you for the great content!
Well said Bob! It depends…..
Hallo. Ich Hobby Imker aus Deutschland.
Imkere momentan auf Zander Liebig Beute.
Möchte aber umstellen auf Dadant und habe schon öfter deine videos gesehen und bin begeistert.
Lg Daniel
Bob, much has been said about a lot of beekeeping ideas and principles not just queen excluders. We still like to hear from you. Provides balance when you can vet information from all kinds of sources. Your experience and wisdom is most valued, thanks.
I copy this! :-)
I run double deeps and don't use them most times. Like you mentioned the honey cap works good. I use all metal for same reasons. I do use them with double screen boards for grafting . Great tool for grafting.
Good video Bob
Bob, I almost didn't watch this video, having been beekeeping as a sideliner for 20 plus years. But once again I'm so glad, I did.
I wasn't disappointed with your presentation at all. I thought just another excluder video. Once again I believe that you spent a lot of time, making sure you hit all the necessary points. I believe that you now have the #1 video on excluders, for not only the new beekeeper, but hobbyists and above. I do love how you, just don't throw out a simple video, but a well thought out presentation 👏.
I did so enjoy your time you gave me in Lebanon at the conference back in January. I have had much better results this year, even in our almost no spring, below temps, record freeze and record rainy days here in Oklahoma.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you again at Kamon's next conference. P.S. my friend in Ohio Greg Burns, I believe puts you on a pedestal of good information too!
Hi Malcolm. Thanks for the kind comment.
I'm surprised at the response to this video. I didn't expect all the comments that it generated. Thanks again, see you in January.
I agree Malcom, a very comprehensive presentation that we can all pause and think about. Well worth watching and sharing.
@@FrederickDunn thanks, and I hope you will be able to go to the "Hive Live " bee conference in January. I know that I would be honored to personally meet you. You are someone who I suggest to many new beekeepers to watch. I do enjoy watching your videos too.
Bob, Thanks for a great video. I value your opinion! One other advantage I found to the metal excluder is that I can use my propane torch to clean off any stubborn or hard to reach propolis
That works great but a word of caution. If it gets hot enough to burn the galvanized coating excessive rust can occur.
@@bobbinnie9872 I've tried freezing the excluder and then the wax comes off more easily.
An old German beekeeper I used to work for built his own excluders that spanned from the middle of the outside frames on either side of the box, essentially leaving the space between the wall and the outside face of the outside frames open. His theory was the queen seldom, if ever, makes it to that part of the hive, especially in a double deep. This left that space unrestricted for foragers to travel up to the supers without having to pass through an excluder, while still keeping the queen downstairs. He had surprisingly good results, seldom we would find a queen up top.
I've tried that but had mixed results. Thanks for the comment.
Yup, Kamen is right! 🐝
Sooo many variables! 😉🐝🌻
I have 4 hives, and this year I am tossing on three supers without an excluder. My hope is to allow the hive lots of room for brood and maybe lessen the likelihood of swarming. Around mid April, here in South Carolina, the swarming starts to ebb, and I'll move the queen down to the deeps and install an excluder. The brood above can emerge and the space will be backfilled with honey. I hope the fat drones up top can figure out how to exit through the inner cover and the propped open lid. We'll see what happens. By the way, since this is a hobby, I don't worry if an excluder gives me a little less honey.
Sounds like a good plan. We often do something similar. You might like to watch our video "A Problem With Single Story Bee Colonies" where we show something like that. ://ua-cam.com/video/UsxM4htq4Hw/v-deo.html
Another great video. I always appreciate your knowledge Bob. Have a great week!
Queen excluders work or don't work based on your management style. I've seen beekeepers complain about them while others use them and pull piles of honey. I use them at the end of the season to clear out brood in the honey supers. I use them for comb honey production. I use them in the fall to limit the queen from the second box so that the colony can fill the top box for winter supplies.
Oh, they're great for putting on the bottom of supers and tops of supers to keep the mice out during winter storage.
I've tried the plastic excluders and won't use them again. I like the metal QE's and ones with the wooden rim.
Cleaning the metal excluders is easy. Put them in your solar melter. No scraping. Don't do it with the plastic. The heat will ruin them.
Using the queen excluder in the winter. Do you mean you use it with the colony on top or by winter storage did you mean storage of empty equipment? Thank you
@@theohiohousewife For winter storage of equipment. I put the QE on the bottom and on the top of the supers in storage. I usually put four bricks on the corners so that there's ventilation up and through the boxes. It keeps the mice out. It worked for me for years. Make sure you do this after the threat of wax moths or hive beetles hiding in the comb. Do what you need to control those when they are off the supers such as Moth treatments certified for comb (paramoth) or keeping them frozen to control / kill moth eggs and kill small hive beetles and their eggs.
I hope I cleared up any confusion.
Thanks Bob.
Excluder on the bottom board will hold the swarm you catch in.
I use the metal excluders on a single box. When winter comes I use a propane torch with a wire brush to make the metal smooth so the bees can more easily go up to the supers. I tried without excluders but didn't like the brood in the honey supers.
I didn’t know there’s so many videos about queen excluders by other people because I don’t watch them, except for Ian of course. I watch your videos so thank you for this video. Your videos are so informative. Lorie 😁🐝
Thank you.
:)
Our major honey flow is just about to start in southern alberta. Our alfalfa is just starting to flower. 37 degrees cel and warmer next week for western canada. Great thing is we have a lake beside our 1/2 section of alfalfa. It’s irrigated and take 48 hours to irrigated they 1/2 section of alfalfa dropping 2.5 inches of water.
Great video Bob. I put excluders under my honey supers. As soon as I put them on. I do drone trapping. So therefore I don't have that honey bridge you spoke of, and I will get brood in my honey supers big time. Plus I just hate having brood in my honey supers, but that's just me.
I have found that on some colonies calling excluders honey excluders is very true and some it's not.
P.S. Bob the sourwood flow is happening now here in Central Virginia.
Thanks Mark. Our trees look like they should be flowing but no nectar yet.
Bob, you always add more information that was not covered by other beekeepers. Great video as always, please keep them coming I have learned so much from your videos.
I even started using double screen board this year because of what you covered in a past video. I must say I do like it.
Thank you, you are allways fantastic in your balanced approach to all this issues
thank you
I just do this for fun and do not take money into account so I don't use a queen excluder. I would use an excluder for splitting and making sure where the queen is. For migratory and Ian, I would do the same thing because it does make it easier to segregate the brood from the honey.
Another fantastic video! Thanks Bob! Simple question: does it matter if you put the smooth side (metal excluder) up or down?
We prefer the smooth side up for ease of use. This would be cleaning (scraping) burr comb, prying off upper boxes and maintaining a reasonable bee space underneath which seems to create less burr comb than the other way around. I'm not sure that the bees care.
Thanks for the video! Wow, lots of views & comments. Lots of strong opinions, I’ve seen entire bee meetings taken up on the subject. The second big “controversial” subject is whether or not to poke holes in the newspaper when you combine a colony 🤣
I was also very surprised at the response to this video. Thanks.
One other important factor in selecting queen excluders is the size of your bees including type of bees.reusing old comb for example can cause smaller bees in my experience.just one more factor to consider.cheers
Very good point.
Frederick Dunn sent me to your channel👍👍
Thank you.
One thing I noticed with the plastic excluders is that the spacing for the long plastic strips can be right over the space between the frames. That with the plastic sagging like they do, it can block a majority of the bees from getting through. I experienced this last year when I ran out of metal and had to use some old plastic. Had a hive packed full of bees and barely any were in the supers.
Always enjoy, learn from, and look forward to your next video. I run double deeps and the Dadant plastic queen excluders. Like you, I have concerns about potentially restricting honey production above the excluder. I place an Imirie Shim under the inner cover that has a 3/4 inch entrance opening for an upper entrance. Is this what your were referring to as a honey bridge? Most of our hives are using that upper entrance but some for some reason some ignore it and just guard it. Like you, I want to make the most of the Sourwood flow we are blessed with here in Middle Tennessee. Aside from robbing risk which is easily stopped by sliding the outer cover back over the opening to block it, do you see any other risks or draw backs to using an Imirie shim on top in conjunction with an excluder. Your thoughts on this are much appreciated. Thanks for the recent visit to the Nashville area. Enjoyed your video with Dick and Byran. 👍
The honey bridge I refer too is the band of honey that can occur above a normal brood nest, above which the queen is less inclined to lay. I think the Imirie shim at the top is a fine idea as long as the colony is strong and can defend it. We often slide our flat migratory lids slightly forward so they will rest on the thin strip we have under the end of the lid which creates a space on both sides under, and near the back, of the lid. Believe it or not this upper entrance will not only help with ventilation but can help reduce swarming a bit.
@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks Bob. Based on what your mentioned about your results not using an excluder on double deeps, I am going to give this another try in the future and observe if this makes more honey. If I went with all deep boxes then if the queen did lay in the honey super area, it would not be a big deal since they will usually back fill with honey at some point but if not, I can always move a deep frame back down. I have 2 Kaptarlifts I purchased from Lajos Orban in Hungary that I hope will give my back some much needed help in handling deeps.
Hey, Bob! Great presentation and excellent, objective overview of the subject.
Appreciation from your friends back in Oregon!!
There are many videos on the subject but you have a way of explaining it clearly and concisely making it much easier to understand. I prefer the metal ones but since I use a lot of 5 frame boxes, I have to resort to cutting down 10 frame plastic ones. You indicated this was for the newer beekeeper which explains why you didn't discuss them in raising queens. I do use them in starter hives and when introducing II queens to a hive. Thank you for your help.
Excellent video!! Thanks for your knowledge!!
I find that if you eliminate the top vent/entrance the Queen will stay low in the bottom brood box and you can get away with not using an excluder , my experience is that the venting plays a huge part in where the Queen goes , the foragers will take honey upward and the Queen will keep her brood where the air flow is down low
Hello Bob, Another excellent video!! You mentioned wood frame queen excluders are old fashioned. I know they are more expensive than metal and plastic. Is there any advantage to using a wooden queen excluder? Thank you!
Some people say that they provide a more accurate bee space but I think in some cases they provide too much bee space. I personally see just as much, if not more, burr comb when using them.
Excellent timing and topic. I now feel a little validated on the use and non use of the QEs. I wish I could give you more than one thumbs up. I wish I’d met you 20 years ago. Great job.
do these work with the horizontal hives? that use the LANGSTROTH deep frames? thank you for the tips
It seems like they would but I don't have any experience with that.
Nice video! Question? I have seen queen excluder made gates..like for a hive entrance. Wondering if that would help prevent swarming with the queen..and also if it would help prevent robbing. Dont want to make it difficult for the bees...yet I've lost colonies for no apparent reason (mites beetles overcrowding etc.) Thank you.
A gate like you describe probably would discourage robbing some, I've never tried it for that purpose. Although an entrance excluder will keep queens from getting out they can also cause other problems. They can trap drones inside the colony which clogs the entrance and rub pollen off of the legs of incoming foragers.
Just wanted to say thank you Mr. Binnie for taking the time out of your busy schedule and making this videos. I'm a new bee keeper and I've watched your videos numerous times and can't wait for a new 1. I'm a western Carolina boy that moved to Texas and can find anyone willing to take time to help a new bee keeper with charging a pile. I hope God continues to bless you and your business.
Thank you.
Very informative video as always. Much appreciated. I still use the old wood bound I purchased from Kelly years ago when I use them. Lol.
When you say you like 2 deep boxes then supers on top of that…after you pull the supers do you leave the 2nd deep on thru the winter months?
We let colonies that went through the honey production season has a double remain a double for winter.
Here's a question for all of you that believe queen excluders are 'honey excluders'. Do you think the foragers stop bringing in nectar because you put a queen excluder on the colony? I can assure you they do not. So where do they put the incoming nectar? In the first available cell they find and when the foraging activity is done for the day the bees move the nectar up in the hive for storage. Providing you have drawn comb above the excluder that's where it goes. The key to success whether using an excluder or not is to stay ahead of the bees with your supering. i.e. don't let your first honey super get capped before adding more. Personally, I like to under super so the bees always have open comb right above the brood nest to move the nectar to. Oh, and I'm one of those single brood box guys up here in Michigan.
I wonder if you cut a queen excluder a little off the sides. I am thinking maybe the queen wouldn't go outside the cluster and prevent her MAYBE from putting brood in the honey supers. also, would that allow the drones to have a place to be without overcrowding the brood chamber. and one more thing would that help the returning field forage be able to get to the cells faster not having to go between the excluder. update lol after watching the rest of the video that queen did move up from the side, well i guess its the thought that counts
The essential oil rags have been very effective this season it has cut or hive beetle and mite loads dramatically the beetles more than the mites.
Did you use Chris Werners recipe?
@@bobbinnie9872 It was listed in your Florida beekeepers segment.👍👍
@@cricketscorner6514 That's Chris, thanks.
Hey Bob, can queen excluder remove pollen from the workers back legs? Or are bees with pollen able to pass through with no issue?
I'm guessing that a sharp edged plastic excluder could. The round wires in a metal excluder seem less likely.
This is the first year I exclusively used excluders. Out of seven production hives I had 3 that absoutley would not go through the plastic excluder. I took them off and they made honey. The 3 best hives for production had metal exculders. Comparing the 2, it seems the metal exculders are a tad wider even though i haven't measured them.. Why do the plastic had some many sections where the metal are longer?
Hi Hope. I think it is because the plastic is more prone to warpage.
Bob, do you clean the wax and propolis from your excluders before placing them back on hives?
Occasionally. We have not cleaned them in a few years..
Bob,
when you put your bee escapes on the hive do you put a extra box under for room or not? just need a little more detail. I use single brood management like Ian ...
We don't add another box unless we're actually adding it stay. When you do put an escape over a strong single there will be more than normal amounts of remnant bees in the super and we just blow them out if it's excessive.
I was wondering if you had an opinion about upper honey super entrance to allow the foragers direct access to the comb. I'm wondering if it benefits the harvest and also wonder if it promotes an increased risk for robbing.
With strong colonies in a nectar flow we will often push the top super back 3/4 inch to leave a 3/8 inch opening across the front. If the colony is strong robbing shouldn't be a problem even after the flow has stopped. This extra large entrance can also help a bit with swarming. I'm not sure if it adds to the overall harvest.
Bob I have to used them I have over 60 hives and my queens will lay in them and I get more honey than I can handle. Thanks for all your videos you have help me on trying to start my business
Can you tell me what type of 800 micron filters you use and where you get them?
www.rosedaleproducts.com/
Good morning Bob.
How do you store honey super frames when they are not in use
We rent cooler space at our local food bank.
I've found bees stuck in them, I got wire ones only using them for raising my queens now.
In my experience (not professional) i do not use them simply because the amount of brood on the supers tends to be very small in my case. I understand that, in a big operation, there isn´t enough time to check each collony when harvesting, but for a hobby beekeeper i feel there´s really no need for an excluder.
On another topic, but related to size of bees, is there a video on comb cell size? I have seen some info that small cells tent to be a benefit on the varroa issue, do you have any toughts on that?
As always, great info, thank you very much!
There is conflicting opinions on small cell and varroa mites. I don't have any personal experience with this but there was a study at The University of Georgia showing that it does not.
@@bobbinnie9872 I´ll look it up, thank you!
Another good one Bob. You always seem to hit on exactly what I’m dealing with currently. This is my first year using queen excluders in honey production colonies because I really wasn’t going for honey prior to this year. I’ve got all kinds of scenarios going on with one box, two boxes, 3 boxes then excluder and some with none. I have no idea what will work for me yet but it’ll come. Thanks for your thoughts.
What are measurements between gaps of queen excluder? As i refer to those spaces for worker bees to pass
The excluders in this video were .166 inch.
@@bobbinnie9872 can i get your whatsapp namba
Having read that queen excluders shorten worker life by repetitive micro trauma to their wings I looked at plastic vs metal excluders under magnification and decided that plastics would never be for me. The edges of the plastic are almost knife edge like vs the smooth/rounded edge of the wire. I saw it as scraping through vs rubbing through the hole.
Thank you. I wondered about that.
How about the honey line, I was thinking the bees wouldn’t go past the honey line?
You just answered my question, bad habit of not waiting until the video is over before I comment.
i m new. my eyes are not trained well ..yet. was the bend at the very top of the excluder ? the very first wire was pushed in a little? is that what we are watching?
At 7:40 there is a slightly bent wire above the palm of my hand. Wire # 5 from the outer edge.
@@bobbinnie9872 thank you!
Bob … have you figured out how beekeepers run single deeps with queen excluders without constantly killing swarm cells? I’ve tried it and failed miserably. I’m in Southern NH (backyard beekeeper with 6 colonies) like the two deep no queen excluder plan. Use excluders in late July to keep queen in the deeps.
I agree that singles and swarming can be a serious problem. If a single gets too large before the main flow it can be a recipe for swarming. We like to split singles in such a way that the peak population occurs a little after the start of the flow. Once they begin collecting nectar in earnest they often forget about swarming. Some beekeepers give the colony a second box for brood rearing and expansion at just the right time to keep them from swarming and then later push the queen into the bottom box and add an excluder once the flow has started, letting the second box hatch out and become backfilled with honey for extracting.
For us hobbyists that only have a few hives and use the Flow system, a Queen excluder is a must or pointless using a Flow Hive :).
Bob, this is the best video I've ever seen about queen excluders! 👏
Hi Dan. I give up predicting anything. I put this together late last night, using some old footage that I had put aside because I didn't think it was very good. I did it just so there would at least be something posted this week while I'm waiting for Jamie Ellis to give me the go ahead on the 2nd segment of his footage. I just looked at the UA-cam analytics page and it says this video has received more views in the first 8 hours than anything I have posted to date. I was truly shocked. Thanks for your comments and keep making videos.
I think it's a personal preference. Thanks Bob!
Hello Rodney! :)
Do we move the queen excluders before winter so the queen can move up to keep warm?
In most cases it's best to remove excluders for the winter. A colony can slowly move up as it consumes food through the winter and unintentionally leave the queen behind.
@@bobbinnie9872 thank you for the reply! This is my first year on my own. Started 2 hives back in March and your videos have been so helpful. ❤️
Thank you. Enjoy the journey. @@auroraborealis7247
Mr Binnie, This is a question that does not fit the subject but I would like to hear your opinion. Do use or like the one piece plastic frame and foundation? What are your thoughts? If you have time I would like to hear your valued opinion. Thanks, Phillip Hall
Hi Phillip. I have used a lot of them in the past and although there are pros and cons to them I think they are fine. The best pro to them is that they come straight out of the box ready to use. They're also more durable than the wood frames if handled properly. Two cons are that they have hiding places for beetles and if one is directly above another in the hive you can have extra burr comb between the top bar of the one below and the bottom bar of the one above. I would use them again if the price was right. I don't know if this is still true but ten years ago the Dadant and Mann Lake brands both had top bars that were 1/16th inch short. Even today I would probably buy the Acorn or Pierco brand.
Thank you Mr Binnie. You answer is so appreciated. Wishing you a nice 4th of July..
How do you clean them?
We put them in a wax melter.
If I ever need anything like this, I will likely get the metal ones. The jury is still out on whether plastic in the hive has a negative effct on the bees. I don't want to use anything I don't know for certain is safe.
Anyone know if the plastic is harder on bees than metal?
I've heard some reports of some plastic excluders having a somewhat sharp edge where the bees pass through.
I have plastic and the bees have been anchoring it down with propolis and guaranteed that’s why I’m not getting honey I need to get the metal. Thanks 🙏
I'm a rookie and don't typically use a queen excluder except as for a tool when I have a queen that is only laying in the top box, I'll get her down in the bottom and put one on to get her laying in the bottom boxes.
Good strategy for a rookie.
@@bobbinnie9872 been at it going on 3 years. Been a great year this year, was down to one hive coming out of winter up to 9. Bought a couple queens, made a couple, caught 4 swarms, and did a cutout. I live in the bootheel of missouri
@@bobbinnie9872 Oh by the way that means a lot coming from you, it's videos such as yours and others that I've gained the knowledge I have. Thank you and keep the videos coming!
Just seen your McMaster Carr book! :) For all your can't find anywhere else needs! Lol. Thanks for your work!
I tell our new package and nuc customers to chuck the excluders across the river their first year. Maybe 2 or 3 would be more prudent. Retrieve them when they are half rusted.. Even the plastic ones.
As Bob mentioned the use of any excluded requires one to read the bees well.
These factors probably include things such as Time of year. Number of bees below. Number of frames of brood below. How much of a honey crown exists currently. Also need to determine if the flow is on an uptick or downward trend. Also the general disposition and mood of the bees needs to be taken into account.
Probably the biggest factor is presence of at least some drawn comb above any excluder if and when used.
If I caught anyone around our operation putting a box with fully undrawn frames above an excluder the chance of me keeping my composure as well as Bob does so well would never occur. It's one of the worst mistakes a beekeeper can make. Not only unwise its plain stupid to do so.
The chance of the bees crossing any excludedlr type to go up and draw and fill such a comb is very slight at best.
More likely one will end up getting a hive plugged out below which will either swarm or end up with such a high varroa to brood ratio the puppy is likely to sink in the drink either way. You loose your crop and you'll probably loose the colony also.
Best not get yourself into that predicament to start with.
As per pros and cons of metal vs plastic. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. We use plastic ones for all sorts of purposes. Our current use of metal ones is getting less so every year.
As per wood bound metal ones. That's a no.. As on NO!!!
Good luck you all.
If your not sure don't use them. Or just practice on a small % of your colonies. They are great tools when used correctly by misuse can lead to more work and bigger disasters than any non use ever will.
Your an incredible teacher. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Technical question that no one can give me a answer to.
What can make a bee jacket white again???
Take out the propolis???
We wash our bee suits with bleach which gets them white but it doesn't get out all the wax and propolis stains.
UA-cam star ⭐️ Jason Chrisman
told me to try Super Clean degreaser. I did and it works great.
Whitens and removes most propolis.
Put water in a 5 gallon bucket and mix in super clean. Soak the cloths.
Love your videos I am a young bee keeper im 12 and I help my grandpa as maltese local bee keepers
I'll bet your grandpa is super happy to have your help.
I can only wish my grandchildren lived nearby, so I could teach them about honeybees. Listen, study and ask questions of your grandpa. Treasure his response.
I didn't use to put excluders on in the past. I wanted to give em a try so no brood in honey supers and with no brood the bee escapes cleared bees out much faster and easier. I will continue to use em in the future. Getting ready to extract today here in NC. I'll be seeing yall in August. Thanks for sharing Bob!
I think it's fair to say I've learned as much from watching your videos as I have from reading books, kudos Mr. Binnie. On a different subject, last year you produced a video about introducing Caucasian bees into your operation, how have they worked out for you?
Hi David. I'm going to share my thoughts on that soon in a video. Thanks.
Bob it is always great to hear your take on everything. Your word means a lot to us so thank you an please keep it up. THANKS
Frederick dunn sent me to you.
Hi Bob, Can you please explain the process you use to clean queen excluders. You do a great job explaining the bee space and spacing needed for the bees to pass through, but what I didn't realize when starting out and I don't know if many others ran into the same problem, but queen excluders need to be cleaned in between usages or you can run into the same problem of not having enough clean space for the bees to pass through the excluder. BTW, thanks for confirming my suspicions on the differences between wood bound, metal bound, and plastic queen excluders. I have been vacillating between wood bound and metal bound this year after discarding plastic last year after seeing the drop-off in honey production. You confirmed my suspicions about plastic! Regarding the wood bound excluders, I am finding that the bees build burr comb between both the top and bottom of those excluders and fill them with honey making for a terrible mess and a cleaning nightmare every year. I am done with wood bound excluders after this round. Thanks for sharing your insights.
For small to moderate burr comb buildup on metal excluders we scrap the top side with a putty knife and ignore the bottom side. A little buildup doesn't seem to matter to the bees. When we need to clean completely we set them in our wax melter which holds a few dozen at a time. For plastic we leave them outside on frigid winter days and then shake and twist them which pops off a good deal of the wax. I agree with the wood bound problems you mention plus the rim eventually rots.
Thanks for your videos! If I don't want to use an excluder would placing a box of undrawn frames between brood and drawn wax frames work? thanks
That could go either way. It may come down to wether there is a honey bridge or not. I've seen queens cross over foundation.
Thats the 1 big thing I really like about u Bob is that after all these yrs and tons of experience u still dont feel the need like some of the bee snobs is to tell others what to do instead you share your sage knowledge good and bad and suggest they do what is best for their situation thank you sir u are the epitome of a good beekeeper and an all around good guy
Completely agree, we run single Dadant brood so without them we have brood in
Our supers but our supers are plastic preformed so for us we really need excluders. We also extract twice a year do we don’t have time for brood in the supers ! Very valid points. Good videos! I have Dadant plastic excluders which are a little flexible and can sag but overall, they do the job! Good video! Thanks! Always interesting!