What is the role of a 'queen excluder' in beekeeping?

The role of a queen excluder in beekeeping is primarily to keep the queen from laying eggs in honey supers. This important function helps to ensure that honey produced in the supers remains uncontaminated by brood, which is crucial for maintaining the quality of the honey for harvesting. The queen excluder is designed with grid-like openings that allow worker bees to pass through while preventing the larger queen from entering these areas.

By restricting the queen's access to honey supers, beekeepers can better manage the hive and separate the brood rearing area from honey storage. This practice is essential for effective honey harvesting, as it allows beekeepers to collect honey without worrying about unwanted bee larvae or pupae in their product, thereby enhancing marketability and quality.

While other options mention the queen's needs or the behavior of bees, they do not accurately reflect the primary function of the queen excluder in hive management.