Propolis traps

[Finally Home]

Looking for all the who-what-when-why & where's to using these.
When do you put them on?
Should you do it only on an older established hive?
Will temps play a factor?
How often should it be used on the same hive?
I'm sure there are many other questions to so I'm looking forward to another learning class here. 

[Jen]

Hi Fin- I'm more curious what you will use our propolis for?

[Finally Home]

Well my wife wants to make some of the tincture and a friend works at a Botanical Garden place that said they would be interested in purchasing any we would have to sell (if we choose to collect it).  Nothing in stone, checking the process out first before we make any decisions.

[Jen]

Propolise tinctures can be hard to find. I have a recipe on "Products of the hive" if your interested 

[Finally Home]

That's the one she looked at

[Riverrat]

I used them one year on several hives. I placed them on the hive after I removed supers in early fall. The bees bring in more propolis in the fall.  When temps are dipping I removed traps and put in freezer letting them freeze. Remove from freezer and bust the frozen propolis loose from trap. I found it to be a real pain to bust loose even after freezing. Never messed with them after that I get just as much scraping frames and hive bodies throughout the year in my opinion.

[Jen]

Fin- it would be worth a try, maybe one to see how it works for you. I was given a prop screen and the same happened as MinnieMo. My screen was pretty old, don't know if that makes any difference. I do a hive check once a month during the summer, if you do the check during the hot part of the afternoon, the prop just comes off like frosting with a scraper or spatula.

[Finally Home]

Much appreciate the advice   

[Perry]

I would be inclined to find which hives seem to make an abundance of propolis, and use those. I have some that make tons and some that hardly make any.
I am going to put the trap over top of last super, and then set a bottom board on the top so that there is a draft created. This should get them filling it up quickly.

[Edward]

Buckfast bees and elgon bees like to make alot of propolis.

mvh Edward 

[Jen]

These are euopeans and this particular hive was putting this much prop out every couple of weeks. The entire hive was just frosted like cake with prop. It was sure easy to gather, came off like peanut butter.