A queen excluder is a specialized physical barrier placed within a beehive, specifically between the lower brood box and the upper honey supers. Its primary function is to prevent the queen bee from moving into the upper sections to lay eggs, ensuring those frames are used exclusively for honey storage.
The device functions as a precise filter, confining the queen to the brood chamber while allowing the smaller worker bees to pass through to store nectar. This separation is critical for beekeepers aiming to harvest honey frames that are free of developing brood.
The Mechanics of Exclusion
Leveraging Size Differences
The excluder operates on a simple biological principle: the physical size difference between castes of bees. The grid features openings typically measuring between 4.1 and 4.4 millimeters.
Selective Passage
These precise dimensions are large enough for the smaller worker bees to move through freely to deposit nectar. However, the gaps are too narrow for the larger thorax of a queen bee (and drone bees) to pass.
Strategic Placement
To function correctly, the excluder is inserted directly on top of the brood chamber. The honey supers are then stacked above this screen. This effectively creates a "ground floor" for raising young bees and "upper stories" dedicated solely to food storage.
Ensuring Harvest Purity
Preventing Brood Contamination
Without an excluder, a productive queen may move upward in search of empty cells to lay eggs. This results in "brood" (larvae and pupae) mixing with honey stores in the upper frames.
Simplifying Extraction
By keeping the queen in the lower box, you ensure the upper frames contain only honeycomb. This makes the extraction process cleaner and prevents the accidental removal or injury of the queen during harvest.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Improper Installation
For the device to work, it must lie perfectly flat against the top of the brood chamber. If the excluder is warped or not seated tightly, gaps may form that allow the queen to squeeze through, defeating the device's purpose.
Neglecting Maintenance
Worker bees need unrestricted access to the supers to store honey efficiently. You must regularly check the excluder for blockages, such as burr comb (excess wax) or propolis, which can impede the flow of workers to the upper supers.
Unnecessary Use
While effective, an excluder is not strictly required for every setup. In hive configurations that utilize more than one hive body for the brood area, the queen often naturally stays in the lower sections, making the excluder optional.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
Ideally, your use of a queen excluder should align with your specific management strategy.
- If your primary focus is maximizing honey purity: Install the excluder to guarantee that your harvest frames remain 100% free of eggs and larvae.
- If your primary focus is unrestricted colony movement: You may choose to omit the excluder, particularly if you use multiple brood boxes where the queen naturally remains lower in the hive.
By correctly positioning this simple grid, you gain control over the internal organization of the hive, ensuring your honey harvest is clean and efficient.
Summary Table:
| Feature | Specification/Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary Function | Restricts queen to brood chamber; keeps honey supers brood-free |
| Grid Opening Size | Typically 4.1 mm to 4.4 mm |
| Placement | Between the brood box and the honey supers |
| Key Benefit | Simplifies honey extraction and protects the queen during harvest |
| Maintenance | Requires removal of burr comb and propolis for worker access |
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