When to re-instate queen excluder

[Angularity]

Having removed the Queen excluder to allow HM to move about the hive over winter, I am nervous, given the amount of pollen going into the hives at the moment, that she'll start laying in the honey super. When is a reasonable time to put back the Qx?

 

[Beefriendly]

I am nervous, given the amount of pollen going into the hives at the moment, that she'll start laying in the honey super.

What difference does it make if she does? You can add QX later and the brood will later emerge and then the empty cells will be cleaned and filled (you hope) with fresh nectar and honey.
However if you nadir your super's over winter (i.e have floor/super/broodbox/roof then this is rarely an issue as she usually lay in the warmest part of the hive...the top.

 

[Angularity]

What difference does it make if she does? You can add QX later and the brood will later emerge and then the empty cells will be cleaned and filled (you hope) with fresh nectar and honey.
However if you nadir your super's over winter (i.e have floor/super/broodbox/roof then this is rarely an issue as she usually lay in the warmest part of the hive...the top.

You mean if I did it right I wouldn't have this problem?

Live and learn, that's my motto. Thanks.

 

[Poly Hive]

If you wintered on a BB only then yes the problem is engineered out as they say.

PH

 

[Murox]

You mean if I did it right I wouldn't have this problem?

Live and learn, that's my motto. Thanks.

There is no right and wrong; there many ways of achieving the desired results.
There are those who do not use Queen Excluders at all, others use them only at times of manipulation(eg. increase) and some people use them all the time.

This spell of mild weather is unlikely to remain with us for very long, personally I would keep it out until at least the clocks go forwards and the weather has stabilised a bit with night time temps staying at around 10C or more, coupled with satisfactory colony development, only then after 'reading the bees' would I reapply it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What difference does it make if she does? You can add QX later and the brood will later emerge and then the empty cells will be cleaned and filled (you hope) with fresh nectar and honey.
However if you nadir your super's over winter (i.e have floor/super/broodbox/roof then this is rarely an issue as she usually lay in the warmest part of the hive...the top.

Having removed the Queen excluder to allow HM to move about the hive over winter, I am nervous, given the amount of pollen going into the hives at the moment, that she'll start laying in the honey super. When is a reasonable time to put back the Qx?

if there are no stores in the super, she'll have started laying there already, if there are stores, they may need it before the winter is over (and it's a long way from being over)so they need access for the cluster with queen

 

[MartinL]

After leaving a QE on (and subsequently starving) one of my best colonies, I haven't used one in years!

 

[Funny honey]

I don’t see the need for them except for swarm multiplication. If the queen lays in a box it’s a brood box not a super. Once there’s a full super she doesn’t go past that box and in the box above and starts laying so from then all it’s all honey from my experience so far anyway (2016)

 

[Eyeman]

I don’t see the need for them except for swarm multiplication. If the queen lays in a box it’s a brood box not a super. Once there’s a full super she doesn’t go past that box and in the box above and starts laying so from then all it’s all honey from my experience so far anyway (2016)

Once you get that capped honey band then alot of honey gets stored under the band making less room for the brood.
That's what happens when they live in a tree- they don't expect to have any space above the capped honey band! So the queen stops going passed that full box of honey and so do the receiver bees.

 

[Poly Hive]

Ah the confidence.

Time will tell funny honey. Time will tell.

PH (1987)

 

[Millet]

I have had a Queen squeeze through the excluder and what a pain in the arse it was..loads of drones stuck above the excluder which is not nice and 45/ 50% of the super frames wasted full of brood...that was a one of i hope but i can not see how folk get along without using the queen excluders..it is more hassle than it is worth not using them imo..

 

[Beefriendly]

Once there’s a full super she doesn’t go past that box and in the box above and starts laying so from then all it’s all honey from my experience so far anyway (2016)

No disrespect but you need a bit more experience. I played around with hives with and without qx.....now I ALWAYS use one. The fecund non native queens I use will literally lay a plume of brood in every super they can find any empty cells in...and it's a bugger sorting it out at extraction time....
I'm talking double brood with 4-5 supers when there is a decent flow on...I run big hives.
Might not be a problem with smaller units.

 

[Poly Hive]

Nah its a problem with big and little uns... I can only speak from my limited experience and that is that queens are determined to go up. And lay.... and the mess is bloody awful.


But hey after a couple of seasons, seasoned eh?

PH

 

[Funny honey]

Yes that why I put from my experience being only 2 seasons so the poster can take it with a pitch of salt. It wasn’t advise as such just how things have gone for me so far And I can only go on what I’ve seen, been shown and told but it makes sense to me at the moment that a queen wouldn’t slit the brood nest and lay above a supper capped in honey. But when the day comes it all falls apsrt I’ll make sure I’ll let you know so you can say I told you so as I’m sure it will soon!


I very much appreciate the advise given on this site

 

[Curly green fingers]

Nah its a problem with big and little uns... I can only speak from my limited experience and that is that queens are determined to go up. And lay.... and the mess is bloody awful.


But hey after a couple of seasons, seasoned eh?

PH

No seasoning Pete !.. I can see the more colony's you have the more of a Reason to have QE, I'll let you know when I start to use them .

 

[Eyeman]

I have had a Queen squeeze through the excluder and what a pain in the arse it was..loads of drones stuck above the excluder which is not nice and 45/ 50% of the super frames wasted full of brood...that was a one of i hope but i can not see how folk get along without using the queen excluders..it is more hassle than it is worth not using them imo..

Not on your nelly
Happens at least once every season, either I've bent the wired QC or she has made it around the QC.

 

[Poly Hive]

There are queens which are slim enough in full lay to slide through excluders.

They are very slim and some here would dump them on thei appearance.

They can though be very prolific layers.

OTH the most useless one I think I have had was massive so on the grounds of looks should have been a wonder. I killed her.

Judge on performance not looks.

PH

 

[Curly green fingers]

There are queens which are slim enough in full lay to slide through excluders.

They are very slim and some here would dump them on thei appearance.

They can though be very prolific layers.

OTH the most useless one I think I have had was massive so on the grounds of looks should have been a wonder. I killed her.

Judge on performance not looks.

PH

I like it don't judge a book by its cover age old saying hey!
Last summer I was looking through my friend's hives with him helping to mark queen's , he had such a queen she was a scrag not that big he wanted to kill her and unite two colony's , I said let's give her a chance, she went into winter on double brood after they swarmed at the end of June.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

she went into winter on double brood after they swarmed at the end of June.

so wouldn't 'she' have gone with the swarm?

 

[Curly green fingers]

so wouldn't 'she' have gone with the swarm?

New Queen from a QC of many they were left to select her his choice.