A queen excluder sits between the brood box and the honey supers, with slots wide enough for worker bees to pass through but too narrow for the larger queen. That keeps her laying in the brood nest and leaves the frames above for honey. We carry queen excluders for 8-frame and 10-frame Langstroth hives in plastic or heavy-duty stainless steel, plus 10F and 7F models made for Apimaye insulated hives.
Plastic or stainless? A plastic queen excluder is the lighter, lower-cost option for a few backyard hives. A stainless steel queen excluder has a heavy-duty stainless surround and rounded surfaces that let workers through without damaging their wings, and it resists corrosion and can be steam cleaned or boiled, so it holds up well across many seasons. Steer clear of old galvanised excluders, as acidic honey corrodes the zinc. The Apimaye versions have built-in spacers that keep correct bee space above the frame tops and cut down burr comb.
Match the excluder to the width of your beehive boxes and supers, use it through the spring and summer honey season, and remove it for autumn and winter so the bees can cluster together to keep warm. Two excluder cleaners, one in stainless steel, clear wax and propolis from the slots. At harvest, a clearer board beneath the super helps empty it of bees before you lift it off.
The Queen Excluder is used to keep the Queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Queen Excluder 10-Frame plastic.
A Queen Excluder is used to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Queen Excluder 8-Frame plastic.
A Queen Excluder is used to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Queen Excluder 10-Frame durable corrosion resistant Stainless-Steel, incorporating a heavy duty SS boarder.
A Queen Excluder is used to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Best avoid old-style galvanised steel excluders as honey corrodes zinc thus contaminating your honey.
Queen Excluder 8-Frame durable corrosion resistant Stainless-Steel, incorporating a heavy duty SS surround.
A Queen Excluder is used to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Best avoid old-style galvanised steel excluders as honey corrodes zinc thus contaminating your honey.