Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Queen excluder  (Read 2913 times)

scruffbag

  • Joined Nov 2012
Queen excluder
« on: December 04, 2014, 09:06:52 pm »
So I have come by at least temporary ownership of 9 beehives. The hives were in the middle of a solar park development and the person whose hives they are is un contactable,  it doesn't look like they have been there for months if at all this year, of the 25 hives, 14 had bees in and one super left to the side had been moved in to by a swarm.
I have moved what I can before the bulldozers get in there. My question is that most of the hives are based on one brood super with two honey supers on top with the queen excluder in place above the brood. They have had no fondant or equivalent, and although all the honey supers are full I'm concerned that the queen may not get any/enough food through the winter. I'm aware that it could be a bad idea to open the hive to remove the excluders. Do you think they'll be ok?

VEG

  • Joined Jan 2014
  • Maesteg South Wales
Re: Queen excluder
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2014, 10:20:51 pm »
Get the queen excluders off ASAP. As the weather gets colder the bees will move to the warmest place which is at the top, the queen cant get through the excluder and will be left behind and may die from the cold.
I would remove the supers but they need to be cleared of bees, maybe leaving one super on depending on stores levels.

You also need to contact the owner of the hives or you may well be in trouble for stealing, I know it sounds daft but it could happen. Try and contact your local bee inspector they may have the owners details.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2014, 10:23:26 pm by VEG »

Sudanpan

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • West Cornwall
    • Movement is Life
Re: Queen excluder
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2014, 08:00:21 pm »
If you don't want to open the hives to take the exluders off you could just relocate the honey supers under the brood boxes, that way the queen cannot be separated from the workers, but the workers can get the stores.


VEG

  • Joined Jan 2014
  • Maesteg South Wales
Re: Queen excluder
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2014, 08:10:44 pm »
If you don't want to open the hives to take the exluders off you could just relocate the honey supers under the brood boxes, that way the queen cannot be separated from the workers, but the workers can get the stores.

How do you do that without taking it apart?

Sudanpan

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • West Cornwall
    • Movement is Life
Re: Queen excluder
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2014, 01:17:50 pm »

If you take the roof off, you can remove the supers,put the crown board on top of excluder therefore not having to break off any propolis seal around excluder, then put the roof on. The supers could then be put under the BB.
Ok so you are taking the hive apart, but not disturbing as much by peeling off the excluder.





VEG

  • Joined Jan 2014
  • Maesteg South Wales
Re: Queen excluder
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2014, 10:52:32 pm »
If you are opening the hive then 10 seconds more to get the queen excluder out isnt going to make much difference, and the bees wont have any metal above them that will have condensation dripping on them.

 

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