clearer boards

[piggy]

When using a rombus type clearer board do you leave the Q. E. or take it off. I have always taken the Q. E. off. I have just watched a video were the Q.E. was left under the clearer board. Maybe I've been doing it wrongly for years! Cheers in advance.

 

[Poly Hive]

If clearing from super to super obviously it stays on and if clearing down into the BB the I take it off. It's redundant and goes home to be cleaned up ready for the next season.

Just because you see a video on the internet does not make it the right thing to do, nor the wrong thing either.

PH

 

[Millet]

Why would you need the Queen Excluder below the clearer board, the Queen would not fit though the bee escape anyway would she.

 

[Anduril]

When using a rombus type clearer board do you leave the Q. E. or take it off. I have always taken the Q. E. off. I have just watched a video were the Q.E. was left under the clearer board. Maybe I've been doing it wrongly for years! Cheers in advance.

Was that the Norfolk video? He said it was to stop the queen going up. I take the excluder off, but I saw this more as causing less disturbance to the hive.

 

[piggy]

yes it was the Norfolk video

 

[Softley]

I'd just take the QE off - I think it's overkill leaving it in place. It's quite unlikely that a queen would try and get up through a rhombus into a super. Could be a sign there's something wrong if she did.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

When using a rombus type clearer board do you leave the Q. E. or take it off. I have always taken the Q. E. off. I have just watched a video were the Q.E. was left under the clearer board. Maybe I've been doing it wrongly for years! Cheers in advance.

Unless you are clearing the lowest super the qe stays in place.
For the lowest one I take it out of the way.
If what you have been doing works fine why try to fix what isn't broke?

 

[Softley]

Unless you are clearing the lowest super the qe stays in place.
For the lowest one I take it out of the way.
If what you have been doing works fine why try to fix what isn't broke?

Yep, John put it better.

 

[bontbee]

It seems a bit early to be taking the last super off. Assuming that you do you use queen excluders, it may well be necessary to replace space as supers are removed. In my area, himalayan balsam and/or heather is flowing. How much space you give when removing supers depends on the size of the colony, the number of supers you are removing and the flow at the time. (Sorry if that's a bit vague - I should add that I will also be taking the weather forecast into account to come to a "decision"!!)