Should I Use a Queen Excluder?

Video Summary:
Tara Chapman – Should I Use a Queen Excluder?

Tara tackles a question most beekeepers run into at some point—should you use a queen excluder? Her answer is pretty straightforward: it’s a personal choice, and you can be successful either way.

That said, she leans toward keeping things simple—especially for beginners. Beekeeping already has a learning curve, and adding a queen excluder too early can just complicate things. Her advice is to focus on understanding your bees first before bringing in extra equipment.

In her own operation, Tara rarely uses queen excluders in the traditional sense. The one time she does use them is when catching swarms, where they act more like a “queen includer” to help keep the queen (and the bees) in place.

When it comes to honey production, she’s found that not using excluders hasn’t held her back at all. In fact, allowing the queen to lay freely can help build a stronger, larger colony—which often translates to better honey yields. Simply put, bigger populations tend to produce more honey.

If brood or drone comb shows up in the supers, she doesn’t see it as a big issue. It can be managed by cutting it out or just letting it hatch and allowing the bees to refill those cells with nectar.

Her overall recommendation is to give yourself a season or two before experimenting with queen excluders. Learn your bees, get comfortable with hive management, and then decide what works best for you.