How to Harvest Propolis

Are you curious about using propolis and want to harvest your own to make Propolis Tincture? As beekeepers, understanding the methods to collect and utilize propolis is essential for maintaining hive health and reaping its numerous benefits. Join us as we explore propolis traps, scraping frames, and effective techniques to ensure a successful propolis harvest.

When do bees make propolis?

Honeybees collect antimicrobial plant resin throughout the active season, with an increase towards the end of summer. Propolis is made by honeybees from these resins which are mixed with beeswax and saliva. Propolis has many uses within the hive. For instance, it is used in controlling and maintaining the conditions within the hive, protecting against pathogens, and ensuring the health of the brood.

The increase in propolis production towards the end of the active season is part of the bees’ winter preparations. They are using it to fill cracks and regulate airflow, as well as maintaining a healthy colony and fighting disease. Any beekeeper harvesting propolis need to be aware of the correlation between colony health and presence of propolis. They also need to be prepared to take only what the bees can spare, at a time when they can spare it.

Propolis can be obtained in two ways: Using propolis traps or scraping frames and equipment.

Harvesting Propolis with a Propolis Trap

A propolis trap is a flexible or semi-flexible mesh or screen with small holes in it. The holes are so small that the bees will fill them with propolis. If the holes were larger, the bees would opt to fill them with comb/beeswax. The propolis trap can be attached to the inside walls of the hive or placed on top of the frames under the crown board on strong, healthy colonies. You can apply a propolis trap at any time of the year, but for best result put it on when the bees make lots of it. When conditions are right, the bees will fill the holes with propolis, and the screen can then be removed for processing.

Honeybee collecting propolis from unused beekeeping equipment

Propolis traps and airflow

Among other things, bees use propolis to manage airflow within the hive. You will often see propolis around second/upper entrances or smaller entrances in hives especially where there is no bottom ventilation provided. This is the work of the bees regulating the airflow by blocking off point of entry (and exit in relation to upper entrances). You can use this knowledge to your advantage when encouraging your bees to make propolis.

For best result, a propolis trap is placed on top of the frames in the brood box. This should be done once the honey has been harvested at the end of summer and there are no supers or feeders on. The crown board is placed on top of the trap. The crown board is then propped up a little to let light in and allow air to circulate.

What happens in this situation is that there is a flow of air going through the hive, from the entrance to the top. In order to regulate the flow or air, and as a result also heat and moisture, the bees can either close off the entrance or fill the propolis trap. Because they need the entrance to get in and out of the hive, they will quickly seal the holes in the trap. Once sealed, the trap is removed for processing and the crown-board replaced without the spacers. 

Vents for crown-board getting sealed with propolis. Bees often do this as winter approaches as a way of regulating the environment within the hive.

Propolis traps on inner walls

You can place propolis traps on the inside walls of the hive as well, it is in fact a great way of encouraging bees to collect resin and make propolis, and results in healthier brood and healthier bees. I would, however, advise caution when it comes to harvesting this propolis as doing so can have detrimental effects on the colony. Harvest only during the active season and before winter preparations have begun, and only take a small portion of the propolis that is available. Replace the traps when the propolis has been removed to encourage the bees to make more.

Harvesting Propolis from Frames

Another way of obtaining propolis is by carefully removing it from the frames in the supers, and from other hive parts such as vents and upper entrances. Here, the bees will have used propolis to block airflow or minimise exposure to other elements such as predators and light.

If you are harvesting propolis deposited within the hive it is important to collect fresh propolis only. Propolis that has been in the hive or on the frames for several seasons is not recommended for human use. It is also not advised to collect it from boxes that have undergone varroa treatment, due to the potential presence of toxins. Also, if you are harvesting propolis in this way, leave whatever the bees have collected in the brood boxes, or the boxes that you intend for them to over winter in. The bees need it themselves so use propolis from supers or excess equipment only. It is generally fresher, cleaner and easier to remove than what you will find in the brood space anyway.

Remove Propolis When Extracting

You will typically find a lot of propolis on the lugs and sidebars of frames in the supers. I find the easiest time to remove this is as a part of honey extraction. I prefer to do it before the honey has been extracted as the frames are nice, clean and dry. You will be able to scrape of chunks of clean propolis without getting any debris mixed up with it. After extraction, the frames tend to be sticky, so you will get a lot more honey and wax mixed in with the propolis, which is not ideal.

If the frames are not scraped in conjunction with extraction, this can be done during winter. Scraping in the winter has the advantage that the frames are colder and the propolis therefore less tacky. It makes for an easy job as the propolis will come off rather cleanly. However, do this only if the frames have been stored dry and not treated with acetic acid.

Scraping propolis off frames in the winter. The lugs, top and sidebars are covered with propolis. Frames are scraped in a box and the scrapings fall into a tray placed underneath.

Harvesting From Other Places in the Hive

You can also cut out lumps of propolis where bees have used it to seal upper entrances and ventilation holes. If you do, make sure to block the holes afterwards as the bees clearly want them to be closed off. Propolis deposited in ventilation grilles as pictured can be easily removed by first freezing it. Place the hive part in the freezer to leave the propolis harden. Then gently flex (not too hard as the plastic becomes harder) and pick out the propolis manually.

Cleaning and processing propolis

Propolis is soft, pliable, and sticky when warm but becomes brittle when cold. Therefore, propolis traps should be placed in a bag in the freezer until the propolis has hardened. The screens are then removed from the freezer and flexed so that the now brittle propolis cracks and falls off. It is easiest to do this while the trap is still in the bag so that you can gather the bits of propolis in the bag.  

Once harvested, the processing of propolis is relatively uncomplicated.

1. Carefully clean the propolis by picking out any debris. The cleaner the better.
2. The propolis can be soaked in water to remove honey, wax and bee parts. Most of the debris will float to the surface and can be removed. The propolis should then be rinsed and dried thoroughly. If the propolis is reasonably clean, this step can be omitted.
3. If the propolis contains a lot of debris, another way of cleaning it is to place it in an ovenproof container and cover with 5 cm of water. Place in the oven at just under 100 degrees Celsius. Leave for about two hours but stir regularly. The wax and other debris will float to the top and can be removed when cooled. The water should then be removed and the container containing propolis frozen. Once removed from the freezer, the brittle propolis can be taken out of the container.
4. Fresh propolis is best frozen until needed.

To make Propolis Tincture, read more here: How to Make Propolis Tincture

Discover the benefits of Propolis here: What are the health benefits of propolis?

Hanna Bäckmo

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