Honeybees collect pollen (which contains proteins) which they mix with nectar (or honey) to feed their young. When they collect more pollen than they need, they store it away in cells, similar to the way they store excess nectar as honey.

In East Tennessee there is seldom a shortage of pollen. For this reason beekeepers can harvest a small portion of what the bees collect without causing any problem for the colony. To harvest this pollen the incoming forager bees are routed through a screen. While passing through the screen some of the pollen is dislodged from the bees and is collected in a drawer. The beekeeper then removes the pollen from the draw.

This harvested pollen can be used for any number of things. It can be used as a nutritional supplement for people, as an ingredient in soap or other products, or it can be saved and given back to the bees should there for some reason be a shortage of pollen.

A list of club members who sell Pollen.

Back to Home Page <<

http://www.korrnet.org/kcba/pollen.html
Copyright © 2002, Knox County Beekeepers Association