Perforated metal from Locker Group is used in a broad range of industries with a significant part of the work involving architectural design. However, the company is also called upon to assist with less conventional applications such as beehives that do have a little resemblance to architecture.

Beekeepers primarily use perforated metal for a product called a queen excluder. The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAAREC) describes the queen excluder as a thin sheet of perforated metal with holes that are small enough to prevent the queen bee from getting past, but large enough to let worker bees go through freely.

Queen excluders help keep the queen and her eggs separate from the honey stores. This allows the beekeeper to harvest honey that isn't contaminated with eggs while the next generation of bees is allowed to grow undisturbed. These perforated metal sheets can also be used in hives that have been set up in a two-queen system.

Similar to its use in human spaces, perforated metal is used to divide a space and selectively limit what can cross the barrier. In beehives, perforated metal separates the worker bees from the queen while in human architecture, it could be used to dampen sound without preventing the passage of light.

Locker Group's comprehensive range of perforated architectural products

Locker Group produces a wide range of perforated metal architectural products for small as well as large projects to high quality standards.

Locker can punch sheets with holes in a variety of different shapes and patterns, and cut or fold the sheets to fit any customised shape required by the project. Perforated metal sheets can also be supplied in different materials including stainless steel, aluminium and polypropylene.

Image: Perforated metal has a small but important role in the beekeeping industry