Beyond separating brood from honey, a queen excluder has several powerful secondary uses for strategic hive management. Experienced beekeepers use them to prevent swarms, find a lost queen, block large pests from entering the hive, and even manage complex two-queen colony systems. These alternative placements transform the excluder from a simple barrier into a versatile diagnostic and control tool.
A queen excluder is fundamentally a tool for controlling the queen's location. While its primary use is to keep her out of honey supers, its secondary uses all leverage this same principle to solve other critical challenges, from hive security to swarm management.
Using Excluders for Hive Security and Establishment
One of the most practical secondary uses involves placing the excluder at the very bottom of the hive, changing its function from a honey-flow device to a security gate.
Preventing Pests at the Hive Entrance
By placing a queen excluder directly on the bottom board, below the lowest brood box, you create a physical barrier at the hive's main entry point.
The gaps are large enough for worker bees but too small for large pests like mice, large wasps, or Asian giant hornets to enter. This is a simple, non-chemical way to enhance hive defense, especially during seasons when pest pressure is high.
Securing a New Colony or Swarm
When installing a new package of bees or hiving a swarm, there is a risk the colony will "abscond" and leave the new hive.
Placing an excluder on the bottom board for the first week traps the queen inside. Since the colony will not abandon its queen, this encourages them to accept the hive, begin drawing comb, and establish a brood nest.
Advanced Queen and Colony Management
For more intricate beekeeping tasks, the excluder serves as a tool for isolating bees and diagnosing the state of the colony.
The "Sieve" Method for Finding the Queen
Finding a single queen in a hive of 50,000 bees can be a difficult and time-consuming task. An excluder can make this much easier.
If you have a two-deep brood chamber, place the excluder between the two boxes. After three to four days, inspect the frames. The box containing newly laid eggs is the one with the queen, narrowing your search by half.
Emergency Swarm Prevention
If you discover queen cells and suspect an imminent swarm, you can temporarily place an excluder between the bottom board and the first brood box.
When the old queen tries to leave with the swarm, she will be trapped inside the hive. This buys you valuable time to return and properly manage the swarm impulse, such as by making a split.
Managing Two-Queen Systems
Advanced beekeepers sometimes run two-queen colonies to build a massive population for a strong nectar flow.
In this system, a queen excluder is used to separate the two queens, each with her own brood chamber, within the same hive stack. The combined worker force from both queens is then directed into shared honey supers above.
Understanding the Trade-offs and Risks
While these secondary uses are powerful, they are not without potential downsides that require careful consideration.
Hindering Drone Movement
Drones are larger than worker bees and cannot pass through a queen excluder. Placing an excluder at the bottom of the hive traps them inside.
This prevents them from performing their natural mating function and can lead to a buildup of dead or dying drones in the hive. This method should only be used for short, specific periods.
Potential for Creating a Bottleneck
Any excluder can slow the movement of worker bees, especially if they are carrying bulky loads of pollen.
Placing it at the main entrance could create a traffic jam, potentially reducing the foraging efficiency of the colony. Monitor the entrance to ensure traffic is flowing smoothly.
Risk of Damaging the Queen
While uncommon, the sharp edges of some metal excluders can damage a queen's delicate wings or legs as she attempts to move through them. For this reason, many beekeepers prefer plastic excluders or those with smoother wire designs.
How to Apply This to Your Project
Your choice of how to use an excluder should be driven by a specific, temporary goal.
- If your primary focus is establishing a new colony: Use the excluder on the bottom board for 5-7 days to prevent the queen from absconding.
- If your primary focus is finding a lost queen: Use the excluder to divide the brood nest and identify which box she is in by observing where new eggs are laid.
- If your primary focus is non-chemical pest control: Place the excluder above the bottom board during periods of high risk from mice or hornets, but monitor drone access.
- If your primary focus is emergency swarm control: Use the excluder at the bottom of the hive as a temporary measure to contain the queen while you prepare a permanent solution.
Ultimately, viewing the queen excluder as a strategic management tool, rather than just a honey separator, unlocks a new level of control over your apiary.
Summary Table:
| Secondary Use | Key Benefit | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom Board Placement | Blocks mice & hornets; secures new colonies | Hive security & establishment |
| Brood Box Division | Quickly locates the queen by isolating egg-laying | Finding a lost queen |
| Emergency Swarm Prevention | Traps the queen to delay swarming | Buying time for swarm management |
| Two-Queen System Management | Separates queens while combining worker forces | Maximizing honey production |
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