Please newbees note this

[Heather]

Please do not go into winter with a queen excluder in. I am still finding people who a) dont realise the error or b) forget to remove.
You could lose that colony if the queen gets isolated from the slimmer bees that slowly graze over the winter stores.
If it helps, paint the side of the QE with a bright colour so you can see when present.

 

[Poly Hive]

Bit tricky to paint the edge of a zinc or plastic excluder with no surround.

Good point though: excluders off for winter.

PH

 

[drex]

Make my own wood surrounds for wire excluders. They are all painted bright yellow. Home made clearer boards painted in red, because I did leave one in once

 

[MartinL]

Did this once,

back when we had a cold winter.
You know; Snow, frosts, & Daytime temps below 2deg?

Snow was falling and forecast for a good covering. So I insulated the hive I had at the top of the garden in the dark & in a hurry.
I'd stopped using excluders the previous year on the hives on the cricket field & just forgot! didn't realise anything was up till spring.
All dead in a cluster at the excluder

 

[enrico]

Did this once,

back when we had a cold winter.
You know; Snow, frosts, & Daytime temps below 2deg?

Snow was falling and forecast for a good covering. So I insulated the hive I had at the top of the garden in the dark & in a hurry.
I'd stopped using excluders the previous year on the hives on the cricket field & just forgot! didn't realise anything was up till spring.
All dead in a cluster at the excluder

Bit confused, how did a QE get mixed in with the insulation!
E

 

[MartinL]

Bit confused, how did a QE get mixed in with the insulation!
E

QE was already on the hive, below super.
I'd cut polystyrene sheet to fit around it weeks before.

When the snow started I realised the only hive not done was the one in the garden. So, (putting down my half empty glass) I ran up the garden & banged it on in the dark!

 

[enrico]

Understand now.....cheers

 

[colinc]

With metal non frame excluder if you loop a tag of red insulation tape through the side and leave it hanging out the side of the hive you can see the tag and know it is there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Beefriendly]

Honestly!!!....if you don't know if you have a queen excluder between your brood box and super(s) you have no right to be keeping bees.

 

[Heather]

a thin metal excluder is hard to see sometimes between 2 pieces of old wood... not all having 20:20 vision

 

[dpearce4]

Honestly!!!....if you don't know if you have a queen excluder between your brood box and super(s) you have no right to be keeping bees.

its good to be perfect.

 

[madasafish]

its good to be perfect.

Most of us are perfect.