A plastic queen excluder is installed at the entrance of a lightweight pollination hive to serve as a physical security barrier. Its precise grid dimensions allow smaller worker bees to pass through freely for foraging, but the gaps are too narrow for the significantly larger queen bee to exit the hive.
By physically preventing the queen from leaving, the excluder eliminates the risk of the colony swarming or absconding. This ensures the workforce remains intact and focused on pollination duties throughout the blooming season.
The Mechanics of Colony Retention
Physical Filtering
The excluder functions based on size discrimination. The slots are calibrated to be just wide enough for the thoracic width of a worker bee, allowing them unobstructed access to the outside world.
Confining the Queen
Because the queen bee has a larger thorax and abdomen, she is physically unable to squeeze through the plastic barrier. This effectively traps her inside the hive structure regardless of her instinct to leave.
Why Retention is Critical for Pollination
Preventing Absconding
Pollination hives are often moved frequently and placed in varying environments, which can stress the colony. Without an entrance barrier, this stress might cause the colony to abscond (abandon the hive entirely) in search of a better location.
Controlling Swarming
Strong colonies naturally reproduce by swarming, where the queen leaves with a portion of the workers to start a new nest. If the queen cannot leave, the swarm cannot initiate, keeping the bee population concentrated on the target crop.
Ensuring Efficiency
The primary goal of a pollination hive is work efficiency. By locking the queen inside, the beekeeper guarantees that the colony remains populous and active, maintaining high pollination rates for the duration of the placement.
Understanding the Trade-offs
Potential for Congestion
While the excluder secures the queen, it forces every forager to navigate a grate to enter or exit. In extremely active hives, this can create a traffic bottleneck at the entrance, slightly slowing down the rate of foraging compared to an open entrance.
Debris Accumulation
Because the entrance is partially obstructed by the plastic grid, hives may have more difficulty removing dead bees or debris. Regular monitoring is required to ensure the ventilation and passage remain clear.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
- If your primary focus is crop security: Use an entrance excluder to guarantee the colony remains on-site and the population stays high for the duration of the bloom.
- If your primary focus is honey production: Consider using excluders only internally (between boxes) rather than at the entrance, to maximize the speed of nectar-gathering workers.
A secure queen ensures a stable workforce, making the entrance excluder a vital tool for reliable commercial pollination.
Summary Table:
| Feature | Purpose | Impact on Pollination |
|---|---|---|
| Size Discrimination | Filters workers from the queen | Ensures the colony population remains stable |
| Absconding Prevention | Locks the queen inside | Prevents the colony from abandoning the crop |
| Swarm Control | Stops queen from exiting | Keeps the workforce concentrated on the target area |
| Physical Barrier | Restricts entrance/exit size | May cause slight traffic congestion or debris buildup |
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References
- Robert Manning. The Beetube — a new honey bee pollination device in Western Australia. DOI: 10.1071/ea01141
This article is also based on technical information from HonestBee Knowledge Base .
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