Pollen traps

[BjornBee]

I have acquired some pollen traps and need some info. These traps are the size of a medium super, an entrance on the side, which is above the pull out drawer. The bees go in through the mesh, which is a inverted "V", and there is a finer screen at the bottom that the pollen drops through and into the drawer. The whole area take the place of three frames, and this allows 7 frames to be utilized in the other area of the box.

Who made/makes them? Is this an obsolete style? Any words of experience good or bad?

Thank you.

[txbeeguy]

Any possibility of posting a picture of this contraption? ...can't say I've seen anything like you're describing.

[Dave W]

Your description "These traps are the size of a medium super....takes the place of three frames".

Are you sure this trap fit INSIDE the super? Not outside?

[BjornBee]

The whole thing is a super. The pollen trap, screen, collection box, etc. takes the area of three frames. The rest is an area that 7 frames rest in. Hope this helps.

[BWrangler]

Hi Bjornbee,

I haven't seen a commercial pollen trap of that design in the US.

It resembles the top mounted pollen traps that some California beekeepers built for themselves. Andy Nachbur, a commercial CA beekeeper, the old drone, described them on his web site. Unfortunately he's dead and his site is no longer online. He buit them and used them in his operation. They often included a piece of clear plastic tubing as a drone escape.

Top mounted pollen traps had several advantages. They were much cheaper to build than to buy commercial ones. They were more robust. Installation and removal required just removing the hive cover. Pollen stayed much cleaner as hive debris, varmits, etc. couldn't get into the trap or stayed below.

Most of the traps occupied the full medium super. That way the drawers had more volume.

I don't think a trap made outside the US would use our standard hive dimensions unless it was from South America.

Interesting design.

Regards
Dennis