Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Pests and Diseases => Topic started by: Bakersdozen on December 01, 2018, 10:42:10 am
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Some beekeepers are adamant about removing propolis. These same beekeepers reason that propolis makes working their colonies more difficult. While this may be true, they may be doing their honey bees a disservice. Increased propolis in a colony is known to reduce the bacterial load. This article offers some simple suggestions on how to increase propolis.
https://entomologytoday.org/2018/11/28/propolis-how-beekeepers-encourage-better-hive-health/?fbclid=IwAR0AbQvms2navPBRh7IqsfR1-T6sJSfbbIgEv5FolG2QVPLnxCAhIloixKg (https://entomologytoday.org/2018/11/28/propolis-how-beekeepers-encourage-better-hive-health/?fbclid=IwAR0AbQvms2navPBRh7IqsfR1-T6sJSfbbIgEv5FolG2QVPLnxCAhIloixKg)
This is an easy to read short article regarding the benefits of propolis and honey bee health. I first heard the term "propolis envelope" used by Marla Spivak last year. Her Bee Lab team is exploring the same work that is quoted in this article.
https://academic.oup.com/jee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jee/toy363/5199372 (https://academic.oup.com/jee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jee/toy363/5199372)
This is the paper written by Cynthia RL Hodges, Keith Delaplane and Berry J Brosi. They examined different methods of encouraging propolis collection in regards to allowing the bees to deposit propolis on the inside walls of woodenware. Their results are published here.
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B13,
Thanks for the articles, very interesting. I have some hives built with planed wood and some with rough sawn. I'll be interested in noticing it there is any difference in propolis deposits over time and comparing that to my notes on the hive's health. :)
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I use a hand held grinder to rough up the inside of my brood nest boxes to enhance propolis deposition. Marla attached propolis traps to the inside of experimental hive bodies when she designed their study. Most boxes manufactured today are planed pretty smooth. If you buy boxes from Shastina, they have a local company that will rough them up for you but they charge (or did a few years ago) 1$/box and they wanted to do a pallet (130 knock down deeps) at a time. I opted to do it myself because I was downsizing and plan only to do it to my replacement boxes. Easiest to do after they are assembled. I could do my old boxes I guess but they are usually stuffed with bees till they are no longer bee tight