Bee Pollen

Producing pollen: the trap is only the beginning

Working with pollen isn't just putting on a pollen trap and emptying the drawer. If you want to get a clean, commercially defensible product, you have to think about the whole chain: a strong colony, a well-placed trap, frequent collection, food-grade transport, quick drying or freezing, cleaning and correct storage. The usual mistake is to buy only the pollen trap and forget about the rest. But fresh pollen is very sensitive: with moisture, heat or dirt it deteriorates fast, can ferment and loses value. Besides, while you're collecting pollen you shouldn't apply acaricide treatments inside the hive, because the product can become contaminated during collection.

My advice is to choose the equipment according to your real goal. If you're going to try with a few hives, start with a pollen trap that's easy to clean, well ventilated and compatible with your type of hive. If you already want to produce seriously, you'll also need to think about food-grade boxes, a dryer, sieves, cleaning machines and airtight storage. For bee bread, I'd be even more careful: it's an interesting product, but it requires specific extraction, patience and a good selection of combs. And here I'll take a clear stand: before selling pollen, make sure you can process it well the same day. A good pollen trap without drying, cleaning and preservation behind it doesn't give you a good product; it only gives you raw material with risk.