cloake board vs double screen

[gmcharlie]

Any thoughts on one vs the other???

[Robo]

Not sure what your looking for,  but Cloake makes one colony with queen isolated below.  Double screen makes two colonies.

[gmcharlie]

Double screens are suggested to use in breader colonies as to make the hive queenless  and yet allow the warmth to travel upward.   for both a starter and a finisher. The only difference I see between the two is the easy of sliding in and out of the door.......  just wondering if the warmth/ airflow is a help,  or if the other queens phermones travel up enough to create a problem  or if it is just kind of a personal preferance?

I have also seen a double screen with entrances used as a 2 queen colony seperator so that one queen can't reach the other like they may be able to do with a excluder...

[Robo]

It's personal preference and what you are looking to accomplish.  I use double screen boards for queen introduction and Cloake boards for queen rearing.   Each has their own purpose, like your not going to make a queen right cell builder with a double screen board.

[gmcharlie]

I wondered if the distance of a cpl inches was enough to convince the upper colony they were queenless?   seems to me they could smell her  and wouldn't respond as queenless.....   makeing them queen right would only require removing the screen a 2 minute job.......      I kind of like the idea of a double screen as a queen excluder. but never tried it.

I still don't fully understand the logic of a queen right finisher....  seems to me the old queen would head right up and finish them off.  I understand if she was being superceded,  as shes not healthy... but my brain tells me a healthy queen doesn't want competitors.........

[gmcharlie]

I should probaly add the understanding that you and Michael suggest a queen excluder...  which is why I wondered if the double screen  was a better way.  excluder built right in and yet as MB suggest  it seesm there moral should improve....

The part I have trouble with is the thought that a double screen makes them think they are queenless,  yet an excluder  doesn't....  just teh simple ability to walk downstairs is the difference in weather or not they think they are queenless?