Front Pollen Trap

[Shundahai]

I purchased a front pollen trap, the first time I tried it, I collected a 1/4 cup of pollen (I thought this was great).  Granted, this was a bad idea since my hive was only 2 weeks old.

Now, 2 months later, my hive is thriving, I have my second honey super on and the bees are doing great.  But, I put on the pollen trap, and I end up with a 1/4 teaspoon of pollen.  The bees definitely hate the trap, they struggle to get through it, but they do.  

The first time I put the trap on the bees were not from the existing queen, they were part of the purchased package.  Now they are obviously all from the new queen.  Not sure if they are a different size and possibly able to get through the trap without knocking off the sacks of pollen.

Any suggestions?  The pollen trap I am using is the Front Porch Pollen Trap from Brushy Mountian Bee Farm.

Thank you.

[Robo]

Not trying to be a wise guy, but are they bringing in substantial amounts of pollen now?   In the Spring pollen is about all they are bringing in,  now that there is nectar,  they are bringing that in.

The only other thing is to watch and see if they have found a way to avoid going thru the screen.  Some traps have drone bypass holes that maybe the workers have figured out.   If they are getting thru the trap with pollen,  then I would say the trap is no good.    Keep in mind that most traps these days are designed to only take part of the pollen so that they can be left on for long periods on time and still allow enough pollen into the hive for their brood rearing needs. 

rob...

[Shundahai]

Thanks Rob. 

I don't think it is a lack of pollen, I've tried collecting a number of times, and it is always a paltry amount.  They do head out the drone holes, but there are still a lot going through the pollen trap barrier. 

[Shundahai]

Any else have suggestions?