Pollen Traps

A pollen trap is the equipment at the heart of pollen production, consisting of a perforated plate that bees pass through as they enter the hive and a collection drawer the bees cannot reach. When choosing a trap for production, capacity, ease of cleaning, rain protection and easy opening and closing are decisive. The trap is run only on strong colonies, during periods of plentiful pollen, and intermittently.

How does a pollen trap work?

The trap closes off the hive entrance completely; bees can only enter the hive by passing through the perforated plate. The holes are just wide enough for a worker bee to squeeze through (about 5 mm). As the bee pushes its body through the hole, part of the pellets carried in the pollen baskets (corbiculae) on its hind legs catch on the edge of the hole and fall off. The fallen pollen passes through a fine wire mesh and collects in the drawer below; the mesh stops the bees taking the pollen back.

The trap does not strip off all the pellets. Some pass the plate undamaged and the colony continues to receive pollen. The proportion stripped depends on the hole size, the thickness of the plate, the number of plates and the size of the bee. An over-efficient trap can soon leave the colony without protein.

What types of pollen trap are there?

In commercial production, bottom traps or front traps with large drawers are mostly preferred; at hobby scale an entrance type is enough. Details of fitting with the hive body are described on the "Pollen Traps (Beehive)" page.

What should you look for when choosing a pollen trap for production?

• Hole size and plate: The holes should be smooth, burr-free and uniform. Burred or sharp edges wear the bees' wings and legs. Choose a size that suits the size of the bees in your area.
• On–off mechanism: A trap whose plate can be lifted or slid aside can be disabled without removing it. This is the most practical way to run it intermittently.
• Drone exit: Drones cannot pass through the holes. The trap should have a drone escape that only allows exit; otherwise drones pile up at the entrance, die and block the holes.
• Drawer: A flat, easy-to-pull drawer with a ventilated base (fine mesh or perforated) reduces sweating and mould in the pollen.
• Rain shield: Pollen that gets wet spoils within hours; the top of the drawer should be covered and sloped.
• Material: The plate and drawer should be made of food-grade plastic or stainless metal; painted, treated or rusting surfaces should not come into contact with the pollen.
• Fit with the hive: The trap must fit the hive exactly; there should be no gap through which bees could bypass the trap.

When and for how long should a pollen trap be run?

The trap is run only during periods of plentiful pollen: in most areas, the second half of spring and the weeks when the source is at its peak. The early spring and late summer pollen periods are critical for the colony itself; the trap is not fitted in these periods.

1. Getting used to it: The trap stays fitted for a few days with its plate open (disabled); the bees get used to the new entrance.
2. Switching it on: The plate is put in place; there may be congestion at the entrance in the first days, which soon settles.
3. Intermittent running: The common practice is a few days on and a few days off, or running it on certain days of the week.
4. Checks: At every inspection look at the brood area and the band of pollen. If the brood is shrinking or no pollen is visible in the comb, close the trap immediately.
5. Rotation: In apiaries with many hives, a set of traps can be rotated between colonies so that no single colony is burdened all the time.

Colonies that should not have a trap: weak and newly split colonies, those being requeened, those showing signs of disease and those used for queen or royal jelly production.

How do you set up daily collection and workflow?

The bottleneck in production is not the trap but post-harvest capacity. Fresh pollen is very moist; in hot weather mould and yeast can start within a few hours.

• Collection round: Drawers are emptied every day, preferably in the afternoon or late afternoon; twice a day in hot, humid weather.
• Transport: Pollen is carried in clean, lidded food containers, protected from the sun; a cool box is used for distant apiaries.
• Capacity balance: The number of traps running should not exceed the amount of pollen you can dry or freeze the same day.
• Processing: The same day, the pollen is either frozen or dried at a temperature not exceeding about 40 °C; then it is cleaned.

Maintenance and cleaning of the pollen trap

• During the season: The drawer is brushed clean every time it is emptied; no dead bees, wax crumbs or mouldy pellets are left.
• At the end of the season: The plate and drawer are washed with warm water and a brush, dried completely and stored in a dry place protected from rodents.
• Repairs: Broken holes, torn mesh and bent plates are replaced; with a damaged plate bees either pass more easily or get injured.
• Disease: The trap from a colony with disease is cleaned before being fitted to another hive; for notifiable diseases, official instructions are followed.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the trap on for weeks: Brood rearing drops and the subsequent honey yield falls.
• Using a trap without a drone exit: The entrance becomes blocked and drones die.
• Fitting many traps without considering processing capacity: The collected pollen spoils.
• A trap without a rain shield: A single downpour makes the whole drawer unusable.