Reviewed by Thomas B. · Last Updated September 24, 2026 · How we review
Put a queen excluder on after the honey flow has started and the bees are already storing nectar in the first super, not before. Put it on a colony whose brood boxes are full of bees, and above supers of drawn comb, never bare foundation. Take it off when you pull the last super and before the colony clusters for winter. The order matters because the thing beekeepers call the “honey excluder” effect is mostly a timing problem. Workers hesitate to cross the excluder while there is still space below it. Once nectar is already stored upstairs, they keep going. In eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, that usually means excluders go on sometime in June or early July, as sweet clover and alfalfa come into bloom, and come off with the supers in August or September.
Key Takeaways
- Add the super first and the excluder second. MAAREC advises letting bees begin storing nectar in the supers before installing the excluder.
- Never put a super of bare foundation above an excluder. Use drawn comb.
- Only strong colonies should get one: brood boxes full of bees, a full brood nest, and an active flow.
- Confirm the queen is below it. After three days, eggs show which side she’s on.
- Take it off with the last super, well before winter. A queen left below an excluder can be stranded when the cluster moves up.
- Research is mixed. A 2024 German study found no significant difference in colony dynamics with or without excluders. A 2013 study found they raised honey yield in African bees.
Table of Contents
Why “Honey Excluder” Isn’t Just a Joke
The nickname describes something real about how bees behave. The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium explains it in its equipment guide:
“Many beekeepers refer to queen excluders as “honey excluders” because at times workers are reluctant to pass through the narrow openings of the excluder to store honey in the supers above until all available space in the brood chambers is used up.”
MAAREC, “Beekeeping Equipment”
That last clause is the problem. If workers fill the brood nest with nectar first, the queen loses laying space. A crowded, nectar-bound brood nest is a classic swarm trigger. So a badly timed excluder can cost you honey, and possibly a swarm. MAAREC’s fix is simple: let the bees start storing nectar in the super before the excluder goes in, because nectar already stored in drawn comb draws them through.
Does an excluder cut yields when it’s used properly? The research doesn’t settle it:
- A 2024 on-farm study in Apidologie (Bundschuh and colleagues) followed 64 hives in 8 German apiaries for one season under biodynamic management. The authors “found no significant deviation for parameters of colony dynamics between hives managed with and without queen excluders.”
- A 2013 study in the Journal of Apicultural Research (Adgaba and colleagues) fitted excluders to six of twelve African honey bee colonies three weeks before an expected harvest. The excluder colonies reared significantly less brood by harvest time. The paper reports that this raised honey production.
Neither study used northern-Plains colonies or our flows. The practical reading is that the excluder is rarely the deciding factor. Colony strength and timing are. Our history of the queen excluder traces how old this argument is.
Is Your Colony Ready? A Checklist
| Check | What you want to see | If not |
|---|---|---|
| Brood boxes | Bees covering nearly every frame, and brood across the top box | Hold off. Give space without an excluder. |
| Top of the brood nest | A band of sealed honey above the brood. Minnesota guidance for three-deep colonies waits for 2 inches of sealed honey on top of the third box. | The colony is still building. Wait. |
| The super | Drawn comb with fresh nectar being stored in it | Put the super on alone and check again in a few days. |
| The flow | Heavy forager traffic and main nectar plants in bloom | Without a flow, workers have no reason to cross. |
| The queen | Found below, or eggs only in the brood boxes | Use the three-day egg check below. |
That guidance comes from the hive-management column in the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association’s July 2023 newsletter. It fits the three-deep wintering system widely used in Minnesota. With two-deep colonies, apply the same idea: the brood nest should be capped with honey and crowded with bees before you restrict it.
Step-by-Step: Adding an Excluder Mid-Flow
Step 1: Super first, with drawn comb. Put a super of drawn comb directly on the top brood box, with no excluder. MAAREC is blunt: “Never put supers of foundation above a queen excluder.” If you only have foundation, let the bees draw it first.
Step 2: Wait for nectar upstairs. Within a few days of a strong flow, you should see nectar glistening in the super’s cells. That’s your signal.
Step 3: Find the queen, or let the eggs tell you. If you can find her, make sure she’s in the brood nest. If you can’t, MAAREC offers a shortcut. Put the excluder between the boxes, and after three days the box with fresh eggs is the one holding the queen. If eggs turn up in the super, the queen is up there. Find her, move her down and check again.
Step 4: Seat the excluder. Lay it flat on the top brood box with the super on top, no gaps at the edges. If it’s a framed excluder, follow the maker’s orientation. Our metal vs plastic queen excluder comparison covers which types seat best.
Step 5: Give drones and foragers an upper exit. Drones can’t cross an excluder. A small upper entrance lets any drones above it out, and shortens the trip for foragers filling the supers.
Step 6: Keep adding supers on top. When a super is most of the way full and the flow is still on, add the next one above it. The excluder stays where it is, directly over the brood nest.
Red River Valley Timing
Our flows are short and intense, and they’re later than those in most beekeeping guides. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s yellow sweetclover fact sheet says the plant “flowers in June and July, with later developing plants continuing to flower until freezing weather in the fall.” The same Minnesota column calls July “the traditional major nectar flow for the Twin Cities area.” The table below shows a typical pattern for the region. Adjust it to your own forage and colonies.
| Period | Typical colony and forage picture | Excluder decision |
|---|---|---|
| May | Spring buildup on dandelion, willow and fruit bloom | No excluder. The colony needs every cell for brood. |
| June | Brood nest filling. Clovers and alfalfa beginning. | Super with drawn comb. Add the excluder once nectar is going up. |
| July | Main flow on sweet clover, alfalfa and other legumes | Excluder in place. Keep adding supers on top. |
| August | Flow tapering, with late bloomers in some areas | Pull finished supers. Remove the excluder with the last one. |
| September | First frost typically by late September around Fargo | No excluder. The colony is setting up for winter. |
For how new colonies fit into this calendar, see when first-year colonies should get a honey super.
When to Take It Off
Remove the excluder when the last honey super comes off. Don’t leave it on through fall. Carolina Honeybees’ Charlotte Anderson, a Master Beekeeper, puts it plainly: “Do not leave the excluder on the hive over winter” (source). In winter the cluster moves up into its stores. Workers can cross an excluder and the queen can’t, so the colony can end up above it while she’s stranded below. When you clear the supers, our comparison of escape cones and escape boards helps. Store the excluder flat and dry until next season, alongside the supers. See storing supers between flows.
When to Skip the Excluder
- First-season packages and small splits. They need to draw comb and grow, not be divided.
- Supers of undrawn foundation. Bees won’t readily build comb through an excluder.
- Weak or recovering colonies. They don’t have the population to push nectar through a barrier.
- No flow. A dearth gives workers no reason to cross.
- Colonies already building swarm cells. Deal with the swarm impulse first. Our guide to how a hive reproduces through swarming covers the signs.
Plenty of beekeepers never use one. MAAREC notes it’s optional and used by fewer than half of beekeepers. Timing brood-box reversals with supering can keep the queen down through the flow instead.
Flow Hive owners can apply the same logic when removing the Flow super and excluder for winter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I put the queen excluder on before or after the honey flow starts?
After. Add a super of drawn comb first. Once bees are storing nectar in it, slide the excluder in under it.
Why won’t my bees go through the queen excluder?
Usually the brood nest still has room, the super is undrawn foundation, or there’s no strong flow. Workers fill space below the excluder first. Put drawn comb with some nectar above it and make sure the colony is strong.
Can I put foundation above a queen excluder?
MAAREC advises against it. Let the bees draw the foundation without an excluder, then add the excluder once they’re storing nectar.
How do I know the queen isn’t above the excluder?
Find her before closing up, or check after three days. Eggs appear only in the box she’s in.
When should I remove the queen excluder?
When you pull the last honey super, typically August or early September in the Red River Valley. Never leave it on over winter.
Does a queen excluder reduce honey production?
Evidence is mixed. A 2024 German study found no significant difference in colony dynamics. A 2013 study found excluders raised honey yield in African bees. Timing and colony strength matter more than the excluder itself.
The Bottom Line
A queen excluder works best during a strong flow, on a strong colony, over drawn comb that’s already taking nectar. Fit it too early, over foundation or on a weak hive, and it earns its “honey excluder” nickname. In our region, that means June or July on, and off with the last super.
