Queen Excluder with wooden frame

Description

A BS National Queen Excluder with a wood frame is a beekeeping equipment designed to prevent the queen bee from moving into certain parts of the hive, typically the honey super. This device ensures that the queen remains in the brood chamber where she lays eggs, while allowing worker bees to move freely into the honey super to store honey. It also prevents the drones from passing up into the honey supers and eating the honey that the workers are storing for the winter months.

This is the wire Herzog type and is probably the best type:

1. Queen Excluder Grid: The excluder consists of a grid or mesh, made from coated steel rods (2mm diameter) which is designed with a specific spacing (4.3mm) between bars. The spacing is wide enough to allow worker bees (who are smaller) to pass through but narrow enough to prevent the queen and drones (who are larger) from squeezing through.
2. Wood Frame: The frame of the excluder is made of pine wood, often matching the design and dimensions of the hive’s frames. It serves to hold the grid in place within the hive. It is fitted with a bee space oon the underside and is flush on the upper side, ensuring the bees access over the top of the frames.
3. Functionality: This setup allows the bees to continue their work of honey production without interference from the queen, who could lay eggs in the honey super and disrupt the harvest. The queen excluder is placed between the brood box and the honey super, effectively creating a barrier that maintains the correct flow of bees in the hive.

The BS National Queen Excluder with a wood frame is typically designed to fit standard British National beekeeping hives, providing compatibility and ease of use for beekeepers. The wood frame not only supports the grid but also offers a natural, traditional look that blends well with the rest of the hive structure.

It is normally only used during the active beekeeping season and should be removed during the autumn and winter months.