Lesson 76: Pollen and Propolis

Two hive products bees can't live without, and how a beekeeper can collect pollen

Besides honey and wax, bees collect two other materials: pollen, their protein food, and propolis, their bee glue. This lesson covers what each is, how bees use it, and how beekeepers can trap pollen. (Harvesting propolis for sale isn't covered; our approved sources don't describe it.)

Pollen

What it is: the dust-like grains made in the anthers (male parts) of flowers. For bees, pollen is the main source of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.

How bees use it: - Foragers pack pollen into pellets in the pollen baskets on their hind legs and carry it home. Pellet colors vary with the flower: yellow, orange, red, gray, even blue. - In the hive, bees pack it into cells near the brood and mix it with nectar and enzymes, making "bee bread" (lesson 10). - Nurse bees eat bee bread to make the brood food they feed larvae. No pollen means no brood. - A varied pollen diet, from many kinds of flowers, helps bees stay healthy and resist viruses (lesson 62).

Stored pollen ("bee bread") in the comb: each color comes from different flowers.

Collecting pollen with a pollen trap

A pollen trap fits at the hive entrance (or under the brood boxes). Foragers returning home must squeeze through a screen or grid with holes just big enough for a bee; some of the pollen pellets get knocked off their legs and fall through a mesh into a collection drawer.

Why beekeepers trap pollen: - To feed their own bees later. Research has found that bee-collected pollen is usually better for bees than supplemental diets (pollen patties). Beekeepers can trap pollen from strong colonies, freeze it, and feed it back when forage is poor. - To sell it as a food product (check your state's food rules; lesson 77). - For projects and research, such as seeing what plants your bees visit.

Using a trap well: - Only on strong, healthy colonies, and not all the time. A trap takes protein the colony needs for brood. Run it for limited periods and open or remove it so the colony isn't short. - Empty the drawer often (daily in good weather). Fresh pollen is moist and will mold or attract pests (including small hive beetles and wax moths) if left. - Freeze collected pollen promptly (or dry it) to keep it fresh. - Keep it clean: a covered drawer keeps rain and debris out.

Propolis

What it is: a sticky, resinous "bee glue" that bees make from resins they collect from tree buds, sap and other plant sources (for example, pitch from pine trees). Its color ranges from golden to reddish-brown to almost black.

How bees use it: - Seal cracks and gaps, and narrow entrances; - glue frames, lids and boxes together (which is why you need a hive tool; lesson 21); - strengthen comb and varnish the inside of the nest; - wall off anything too big to carry out, such as a dead mouse, "mummifying" it in propolis; - protect colony health: propolis has antimicrobial properties, and a coat of it inside the hive has been shown to boost bees' immune response and lower virus levels (lesson 62).

Encouraging propolis: in natural cavities, bees coat the whole inside with a propolis envelope. Beekeepers can encourage this with rough inner hive walls (rough-sawn wood, or scratched surfaces) or a cloth inner cover, which bees coat with propolis.

For the beekeeper: propolis is sticky on warm days and brittle when cold. It stains clothing and hands; alcohol or hand cleaner removes it from skin and tools. Some bee stocks collect much more than others (for example, Caucasian bees are known for heavy propolis; lesson 15).

What to remember

• Pollen = bees' protein. Stored as bee bread; no pollen, no brood. Varied pollen = healthier bees.
• Pollen traps knock pellets off returning foragers; use them only on strong colonies, part-time; empty often, freeze promptly. Bee-collected pollen is better feed than substitutes.
• Propolis = bee glue from plant resins; seals, glues, varnishes and protects; it supports colony health. Rough inner walls encourage it.

Quick check

1. Why can't a colony raise brood without pollen?
2. Why shouldn't you leave a pollen trap on all season?
3. Name three ways bees use propolis.

Adapted from: Penn State Extension, Viruses in Honey Bees (updated January 2026); Purdue Extension, Understanding the Honey Bee (4-H-571), Learning About Beekeeping (4-H-1057) and Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059); UF/IFAS Extension, Welcome to the Apiary! (4H446, 2024); Utah State University Extension, Thriving Hives: The Apiary; Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594).

Photo: Stored pollen, Waugsberg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.