Can one make a little eke with an entrance to allow the drones their freedom? But I suppose that introduces extra equipment and they may decide to swarm through this entrance if we've missed a queencell.
If the queen is separated from the main broodbox at the top by one or two supers, does one really need a queen excluder? Is she likely to march up over the super or supers to get to the top box? The drones will then be free.
I've just read an old post by Jon from May 2010 warning that there must be drawn comb in the brood box if the bees have access to honey combs because, if not, the workers will polish the honey combs to make space for the queen. So, I suppose if it is feasible to do what I've just suggested, then one must bear that in mind.
Jon's post is here:
Kitta
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