Can I feed pollen I bought at health food store for me to eat, but didn't eat?

[dallasbeekeeper]

I have local pollen crystals purchased a couple of years ago at health food store kept in the refrigerator.

I want to feed the bees over the winter, and since i am not eating the pollen, want to feed it to the bees.

I found a recipe for making pollen, but can't find anything on whether I can feed pollen.

Please advise or explain how?

??

[Kathyp]

pollen is for brood rearing.  you don't really need to, or want to, feed it over the winter.  that doesn't really answer your question, but gives you more time to research the answer  :-)

[dallasbeekeeper]

If it does not hurt anything, I would still like to do it.

[Michael Bush]

The problem is, if the bees aren't looking for pollen it goes to waste either by molding or by being taken over by Small Hive Beetles (SHB).  You could leave it in your freezer for now and feed it in the spring and maybe do some good.

[BjornBee]

I'd throw it away.

Much pollen the past few years, brought over to feed bees, and yes, passed onto beekeepers in bags and no doubt repackaged for a host of "other" products and uses were laced with high levels of chemicals and even DDT.

If you don't know the source of the pollen, I would not be feeding it to my bees or eating it, regardless of what store I bought it from.

Pollen is collected from a huge area around a beehive. Who knows what they were collecting in the pollen. I've had commercial pollen testing and the stuff was loaded with chemicals. I also tested my own pollen and was shocked to find out what they were dragging in from down the street.

Either produce your own, or make sure you know where it came from. There was a reason two years ago that pollen was pulled from some major bee supply companies. And if you hadn't noticed, some major producers of pollen supplement advertise "We use no pollen"....and there is a reason for that.  ;)

Too much pollen floating around was contaminated. Too much never was tested. But it seems everytime someone cracks that door and takes a peak.....nothing good comes from it.

[dallasbeekeeper]

Thank you.