Queen Excluder becomes a Mouse Excluder
When the honey supers come off it is a simple matter to swap a framed
excluder from above the brood to between the the floor and the bottom
of the brood box. This is both a convenient place to store it and it
acts as a mouse barrier.
Some have suggested that this can be used during the swarming season
to stop a swarming queen from leaving. I feel there are several
objections to this... First drones become trapped and die in the
excluder... After the initial attempt fails the bees may still leave
in a few days when the first virgin emerges, as it may be possible
for her to squeeze through where a more mature queen could not.
It has also been suggested that this method can stop a freshly hived
swarm from absconding. This may well be true but I would want the
know "why" the bees did not think it a suitable home rather than
forcing them to accept my choice.
...more to come
