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  1. #1
    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Default Floor pollen trap plans

    Does anybody have plans for floor pollen traps, please? I suppose I can figure out a solution, but a plan will help.

    The entrance-fitting Fairweather traps do not fit National polystyrene hives.

    Kitta

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    I have 3 of those fairweather traps that I need to fit shortly as part of the CSI pollen survey.
    Anyone got any experience of using them?
    Luckily there are no polyhives at the association apiary.

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Anyone got any experience of using them?
    Hazy memories. The bees didn't like them and found cracks to get round them whenever they could. Once you get used to them they do work.

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    I have 3 of those fairweather traps ...
    Anyone got any experience of using them?
    ...
    Deleted. Sorry, I misunderstood your question, Jon.
    Last edited by Mellifera Crofter; 02-04-2015 at 12:22 PM.

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    I once had a couple of Sundance traps obtained from the States via Thorne for some research we were doing. Donated them to an Aberdeenshire beekeeper helping us! Lovely well-made devices. I think it would be important to use a water-resistant timber like Western Red Cedar.

    Michael Bush posted links to useful places on Beesource including this plan for a floor pollen trap.

    http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~vista/html_p...HAPT2/2-20.gif

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thank you, Gavin. I'll study the plan. I've been thinking of a vertical pollen stripper like the one in the Thorne's catalogue, but a flat one like on the plan might be easier to make.

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    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    I see (after screwing my eyes up ) that the plan suggests exterior ply. Fair enough, but be aware that it will get damp if left out for long. The one I had was made from WRC and also had a drawer to catch the pollen which had hardware cloth/fine mesh as its floor to keep the samples airy. You have to empty them daily and dry or freeze the pollen while it is fresh. The floor trap gave us bigger yields and didn't have the same issues of bees avoiding it or - usually - rain spoiling samples that we had with the side-mounted traps.

    Haven't looked at the Thorne one.

    Oh yes, and you get some extraneous matter (incld bee legs!) dropping through into the floor trap which may be why Dadant now sell a top mounted trap (for hives with top entrances of course).
    Last edited by gavin; 02-04-2015 at 12:22 PM.

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    Jon - they are a fiddle to get working. The bees prefer not to squeeze themselves through the mesh so you have to make sure the vertical mesh is flush with the floor mesh (on the trap) if you know what I mean. I ended up having to put wedges under the collection tray to push the trap floor mesh up enough for there to be no gap between them. I also sawed off the tongue designed for cold way Nat brood boxes as I run polys and cedar boxes warm way (I like to inspect from behind...ahem!). To make everything work required the said wedges and liberal use of duct tape. Oh and give them a coat (or probably three) of paint as the ply is pretty crappy and even though I painted the tops of the ones I had on loan (sorry SASA!) the ply split after a period exposed to the elements.

    Edit - I should say that I left them attached all summer with the sliding mesh in or out depending on whether I was trapping pollen or not. Too much hassle to dis-attach every time between pollen trapping periods.

    Edit 2 - Kitta they can be made to fit polys and warm way BBs but it is a pain in the a**. Involves sawing off the tongue thing and using duct tape to secure them as well as the two wee hook things they come with. The design is not the greatest it must be said
    Last edited by drumgerry; 02-04-2015 at 06:35 PM.

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    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    Thanks Gerry.I have to fit these to 3 colonies by Saturday morning at the latest.

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    Senior Member Mellifera Crofter's Avatar
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    Thanks for the advice, Gavin.

    Drumgerry, I think it will be a greater struggle to make those traps fit my poly hives than making my own! Well, I'll try to make them.
    Kitta

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