Pollen trap with cleaning grid

Abstract

A pollen collecting and trash removal apparatus for use on honey bee colonies in which bees entering from the field with pollen are forced to twist their bodies through a double screen grid with offset squares and lose the pollen pellets which fall through a hardware cloth into a pollen drawer. Bees leaving the hive with trash are forced to drop it, when they have to crawl through a 2 screen grid without offset squares, through a 1/2 inch hardware cloth into the trash drawer. The hinged lid permits easy removal of both grids for easy access of bees leaving or coming into the hive. The apparatus can remain on the hive throughout a year and still permit easy manipulation of frames in the hive. Pollen and trash drawers are removed from the side of the hive without obstruction to the normal flight of the bees. The use of hardware cloth or wire screen permits the maximum amount of ventilation.