Propolis is easy to remove in cold weather

Rusty — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:25:29 +0000

If you are a new beekeeper you might not realize that propolis is very easy to scrape from your equipment once it gets cold. I don’t even try to remove the stuff in summer because it strings out like bubble gum and refuses to release from whatever it’s stuck to—which is first your bee equipment, then your hive tool, then your hands, then your pants.

As soon as it gets cold, however, it breaks like glass. It actually shatters. So now is the time to start removing it—at least up here in the north.

Although I’m not compulsive about removing it from everything, I do try to get it off my section honey equipment simply because I want my section boxes to look as nice as possible when they are complete. Since there is forest all around my apiary, my bees collect a fair bit of propolis in a very short time.

Today I worked on veneer separators and section holders. It was going pretty well until the day warmed up enough for the bees to fly, then they decided to see what I was doing. They lurked around for a while licking the separators before and after I scraped them, then ducked back home when the shadows started to stretch.

Rusty

Veneer separators ready to scrape. Photo by the author.

Autumn: the time for harvesting propolis

Rusty — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:41:17 +0000

Autumn is prime propolis-harvesting time for many folks. Propolis has many uses and it can frequently be sold to companies who manufacture medicinal herbs and natural remedies.

If you are interested in harvesting propolis, it helps to have a contraption called a propolis trap. This re-usable, inexpensive object is nothing more than a plastic grid that looks a little like a queen excluder with smaller holes. It is used in place of an inner cover, just below the telescoping cover. The bees get annoyed by the small openings—which are too small for bee passage—so they fill them in with the gooey plant secretions we call propolis.

As any beekeeper knows, the consistency of propolis varies dramatically with temperature. When it is warm, it strings out like soft taffy. When it is cold, it gets brittle and breaks like glass. So after the bees fill in the empty spaces, the beekeeper pops the trap in the freezer for a few hours. Once frozen, the plastic trap can be twisted and the propolis shatters out. Collect the shards quickly before they get warm and you’re done.

Personally, I don’t sell propolis or even collect it—I tend to wear it. Being a lightweight, I’m in the habit of bracing bee boxes against myself when they have to be moved or carried about. Consequently, I have horizontal brown stripes across many of my clothes—more of a merit badge than a fashion statement.

All my clothes are divided into two categories: those with propolis and those without. I turn all the decorated ones inside out before I launder them so the goo doesn’t stick to the inside of the dryer and transfer to everything I own. It’s kind of a problem and, for me, the less I have to deal with propolis the better.

But if you are inclined to collect the stuff, now is the time. The bees like to seal all the cracks and crevices before winter sets in, so now is the perfect opportunity to put your traps in place.

Rusty

Honey Bee Suite » propolis

Propolis is easy to remove in cold weather

Autumn: the time for harvesting propolis