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Author Topic: DIY pollen trap  (Read 3007 times)

Offline Bush_84

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DIY pollen trap
« on: March 21, 2018, 03:51:48 pm »
So the cheap person that I am, I decided to attempt to build a pollen trap. One limiting factor is the appropriately sized hardware cloth. I also had issues with the beesource plans. Another issue I ran into is that I don?t run classic bottom boards. I use Warre style floors and no entrance is the same size. I then saw a short video of a guy slapping together a front entrance trap for a mini mating nuc. I then found out that a 7/32? drilled hole is essentially the same size as the #5 hardware cloth. From there I started tinkering. I decided to make it for my nucs. Biggest reason is they all use a 3/4? circle for an entrance. I don?t want much. Just something to make my pollen patties more enticing.

Nuc without trap.



Nuc with trap.




Bottom isn?t a drawer but rather just a bottom. Here it is with it removed.



Bees go in the slot and are forced to go through the board with the drilled holes. The holes are apparently big enough for the bee to squeeze through but not the pollen. The pollen just drops to the floor. As I?m putting this on a nuc I wouldn?t keep it on for longer than a day or afternoon.

Will this work?  Improvements?  This was all made from scrap I had in my scrap pile. So life will go on if I need to start over.
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline eltalia

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Re: DIY pollen trap
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2018, 04:02:54 pm »
Tis worth a go, for sure. I have only ever used mesh 'cos of tradition,
and maybe a thought the less wrigglin' to get to the true entrance
the better, bee efficiency wise. But you might just find this 'tunnel'
concept is an efficient method pollen wise, hopefully not too
efficient :-))

Bill

Offline Bush_84

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Re: DIY pollen trap
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2018, 09:48:32 pm »
Ya if it works I?m totally going to make a pollen trap for my 8 frame hives.
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline tjc1

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Re: DIY pollen trap
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2018, 10:45:22 pm »
Make sure you remove all those bit burrs first - don't want the bees to get splinters! ;)

Online Michael Bush

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Re: DIY pollen trap
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2018, 09:23:31 am »
#5 has square openings and the bees manage to angle themselves through in such a way that they only lose one pollen basket of pollen.  That means half of the pollen gets through.  I've noticed bees often lose pollen even going through #4 hardware cloth, not because they have trouble fitting, but because if they scrape their leg on the wire at all, pollen pops out...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline beepro

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Re: DIY pollen trap
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2018, 06:05:23 am »
I don't know how thick is the board for the holes.  They have the wire holes so that the bees will not
spend too much time going through the thick board.   Once they got trap inside the thick board holes some bees will
back up.   I've seen this before with smaller holes and larger bees.   If I have to build one from scratch I will buy the
wire holes to install on the trap.