Flexible plastic Propolis Trap

Why use this screen instead of traditional scraping?

The propolis collected with this screen is of much higher quality than that obtained by scraping the hive surfaces, such as the tops of the frames or inner walls. This is primarily because the propolis obtained with this screen is virtually free of impurities, like wax residues, wood, or paint, which often get mixed in during manual scraping with a hive tool.

When scraping propolis directly from frames, it’s common for the resulting product to be contaminated with other materials, which negatively impacts its quality. Additionally, propolis collected by scraping tends to have a higher wax content, which reduces the purity and concentration of balsamic compounds and flavonoids—key components that give propolis its powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

In contrast, when using this screen, bees deposit propolis into small perforations less than 4 mm wide. These perforations are small enough to prevent worker bees from passing through, but they are ideal for the bees to seal with propolis. This ensures that the final product is purer and of higher commercial value since it does not contain wax or other impurities that could affect its presentation and effectiveness in derived products, such as tinctures, creams, and other pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations.

How it works:

The screen is placed just under the inner cover of the hive, on top of the frames. As bees detect these small gaps in the screen, they fill them with propolis to seal them, following their natural instinct to protect the hive from drafts and potential external threats. Once the screen is completely covered with propolis, the beekeeper removes it and places it in the freezer for at least an hour. This hardens the propolis, making it easy to remove by simply folding or lightly scraping the screen.

Benefits of using this screen instead of scraping:

• Higher quality propolis: The propolis obtained is much purer, without wax, wood, or paint residues commonly found in scraped propolis.

• More efficient collection: The bees naturally fill the screen's perforations with propolis, without the beekeeper needing to intervene until it's ready for harvesting.

• Easy to use: Once frozen, the propolis detaches easily, avoiding the effort and mess typically involved in manual scraping.

• Higher commercial value: The propolis obtained using this method is of higher purity, which increases its market value, especially in medicinal and cosmetic applications where high quality is required.

The value of pure propolis:

Propolis is highly valued for its numerous properties, such as being a natural antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal agent. It is widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to produce products such as creams, ointments, syrups, and dietary supplements. By harvesting propolis with this screen, you ensure a higher quality product that is more appealing to buyers seeking pure, unadulterated propolis, which can result in a higher return on investment from your hive.

Why do bees propolize the screen?

Bees fill this screen with propolis because the perforations, which are less than 4 mm wide, are small enough to prevent worker bees from passing through. Any space smaller than 4 mm is seen by bees as a potential vulnerability, so they seal it with propolis to protect the hive. This natural behavior of bees is what allows the screen to collect large amounts of pure propolis efficiently.

Conclusion:

Investing in this propolis collection screen not only makes harvesting easier but also significantly improves the quality of the propolis you collect, compared to the manual scraping method. If you're looking for a more efficient, clean, and profitable way to harvest propolis from your hives, this screen is the ideal tool for you.