Propolis Harvesting and Collection

Propolis extraction and collection kits are sets that bring together the tools needed to take propolis cleanly from the hive: propolis screens, scrapers, freezer-safe food bags, gloves, a sorting tray and storage containers. Buying a ready-made kit is not essential; what matters is that every part is food-grade and that the workflow is set up without breaking the cold chain. This page describes the contents of the kit and how to get propolis from the hive into the container.

What does a propolis collection kit contain?

Propolis is collected in two ways: with a screen (trap) and by scraping. A good kit covers both, but makes it easy to keep the two products apart.

How do you get propolis off a screen?

Screen propolis is the cleanest raw material; but at room temperature it is sticky and pliable, so it will not come off the screen. The key to extraction is cold.

1. Remove the screen: The full screen is taken out of the hive, and the bees on it are gently shaken off or removed with a soft brush.
2. Bag it: At the hive, the screen is put into a clean food bag and labelled (hive, date).
3. Freeze it: The bag is kept in the freezer for a few hours or overnight; the propolis hardens and becomes brittle.
4. Flex and rub: Inside the bag, the screen is bent, twisted and rubbed; the propolis falls off in flakes. Pieces that stick are removed with a plastic spatula while still frozen.
5. Collect: The propolis collected at the bottom of the bag is transferred to a clean container while it is still cold.

How do you collect propolis by scraping?

Even in hives without a screen, small amounts of propolis accumulate at every inspection. Scraping is done both to make frames easy to remove and to collect propolis.

• Frame lugs, top bars, the underside of the crown board and box edges are scraped with a hive tool.
• The scraped propolis goes straight into a separate, labelled container; it is not dropped on the ground or into the hive.
• Propolis scraped from painted, varnished or preservative-treated surfaces is kept separate and not mixed into a batch intended for food.
• There is no need to scrape the thin layer of propolis on the inner walls of the hive completely; this layer is part of the colony's defence.

How do you sort collected propolis?

1. Work while the propolis is cold, preferably in a cool room and on a light-coloured tray.
2. Bee parts and crumbs of wood, metal or plastic are removed with tweezers and a spatula.
3. Light-coloured, soft lumps of wax are separated out; propolis with a lot of wax has low value.
4. If necessary, the propolis is broken into small pieces while frozen with a grinder reserved for food; trying to grind it warm makes the tool stick.
5. The sorted propolis is put into an airtight, dark container; the collection date, apiary and method (screen or scraping) are written on the label.

When should the propolis collection kit be ready?

Screens fill fastest in late summer and autumn; in this period the bees prepare for winter and seal up gaps. The kit should be complete before this period, space should be set aside in the freezer, and the spare screens should have been cleaned. In spring and during a heavy nectar flow, build-up is slow.

Because varroa treatments are also carried out in late summer and autumn in most regions, the calendar must be well planned: screens are collected before the treatment and are not refitted until the treatment is over and the withdrawal period has passed. In cold regions the screens are removed before winter.

Hygiene, safety and cleaning tools

• Contact allergy: Propolis can cause contact dermatitis, which is also seen in beekeepers. Wear nitrile gloves when harvesting and sorting.
• Cleaning tools: Propolis does not dissolve in water but does dissolve in alcohol. Scrapers and spatulas are first scraped while frozen, and the remaining layer is wiped off with food-grade alcohol. When working with alcohol, keep away from open flames and ventilate the room.
• Treatment period: During the period when miticides are applied, the screen is not left in the hive and no scraping for food use is done; propolis retains fat-soluble residues.
• Disease: The screen and tools from a hive with disease are cleaned before being used on another hive; for notifiable diseases, official instructions are followed.

Common mistakes

• Trying to get propolis off the screen at room temperature.
• Collecting screen and scraped propolis in the same container.
• Mixing propolis scraped from painted hive surfaces into a food batch.
• Keeping propolis in a transparent container, in the light and in the heat; volatile compounds are lost.
• Scraping the hive walls completely and destroying the colony's propolis coating.