Typically, the queen excluder is either a sheet of perforated metal or plastic or a wire grid in a frame with openings are limited to 0.163 inches (4.1 mm).

Queen excluders can also be constructed of hardware cloth screen, of which #5 hardware cloth is often cited in references as sufficient for allowing worker bees to pass, but not queens.

Therefore, the death of a queen in winter is dangerous for a hive and can be expensive for a beekeeper.

[1][page needed] Opponents of the use of queen excluders claim that excluders lower honey quality, influence colony dynamics, and alter labour dynamics.

A 2024 study found that queen excluders had no effect on colony dynamics, and did not reduce honey yield nor the amount of brood produced.