Pollen Collectors

[Ben Framed]

For you who collect Pollen; At what 'point' in the season do you enact your pollen traps? All views and opinions are welcome and appreciated....

[Oldbeavo]

Our pollen traps are called bees, they are on automatic start and start as soon as some pollen becomes available.
They are very useful as they even store it for future use, i don't even have to make a decision of when they need some, they just go and get it.
They never seem to be able to collect enough because come winter time all they have collected is gone.
I suspect they have a black market for it and don't tell me because they collect all year with none left at the end.

I wonder how bees get on when people steal their pollen that they will need some time later.
They must get a laugh, the pollen traps are out, another job to keep the BK occupied, keeps him out of the brood box and lets us get on with swarming preparation. Anyway they will just give it back to us later. So the cycle of pollen.

[Ben Framed]

OldBeavo my good friend, remember we are not speaking in terms of just one location or just your location. Location is a great factor in determining what resources bees may have readily available to gather.  Apparently in your area/areas and program, your bees are able to gather just enough pollen to meet their needs for the balance of the year. Available resources for bees needs vary from location to location, country to country, and Continent to Continent and are not restricted to a one for all rule.

The same of pollen, can be said of bees gathering nectar for honey. In a location where nectar may not be overly abundant the same could be repeted about people "stealing their honey." "My bees barely have enough when winter is over." or "I wonder how bees get on when they will need that later." poor bees! 😊
We have a member who has stated this very thing concerning readily availed nectar as opposed to pollen, in his area.

I think it is fair to say, available and excessive resources vary from location to location all over the world when it comes to both pollen and nectar. Looking at it in a broader prospective, we can add  propolis to that list.
According to one member here, I think it was Beemaster2, telling of an 'overly abundant' amount of 'propolis', which he observed at Beefest during the BUD gatherings in my state of Mississippi.

You make good points and good warnings, I appreciate those warnings.  (I was careful to ask the question in terms of folks who do collect pollen, who do have an abundant pollen resource supply provided by nature in their respective location). The question was not directed to beekeepers who live or keep bees in areas whose pollen resources are barely adequate for the need of their own bees. Such beekeepers should by all means take notice and restrain from collecting pollen. Thanks as always Oldbeavo..

Phillip

[jimineycricket]

 @ Reply #1 +1

[Ben Framed]

@ Reply #1 +1

So Jimmy, you do not believe bees are capable of bringing in enough pollen for themselves, plus a surplus amount for harvesting? Or you do not have enough pollen for collecting in your area?

Thanks,
Phillip

[NigelP]

OldBeavo my good friend, remember we are not speaking in terms of just one location or just your location. Location is a great factor in determining what resources bees may have readily available to gather.

Phillip

Spot on Philip. Area makse such a difference.  I am fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to live in a very pollen rich area. Brood boxes get clogged with the darn stuff in the summer. 
I have a few pollen traps which I rotate to try and collect some of this surplus, but still end up with clogged frames. I now take these frames out and freeze and feed back late February before we get into bee flying weather and they can forage even more of the dman stuff.
Fortunately I also live in a nectar rich region....

I'd quite like to sell this surplus pollen  but am struggling to find ways of cleaning it from the debris (bees legs etc). The commercial machines are far too expensive to justify for the amount that would be sold.

[The15thMember]

I only started trapping pollen last season, but I'm planning on doing it again this year.  I'll be putting the trap on only after the hives are good and built up, probably late in the spring, say April or early May, and I'll leave it on probably until the sourwood flow in late July.  I have pollen starting to come in now, and I have no pollen dearth during flying season.  Although I don't have troubles with frames being overstuffed like Nigel, my bees bring in PLENTY of pollen over the summer and usually have 1/2 a box or more of pollen frames at any given time.  The way I see it, pollen trapping is no different than stacking on a bunch of supers and having the bees produce way more honey than they do in the wild.  As long as the bees have enough, what's the harm?   

[Ben Framed]

Thank you both, I also live in a pollen rich location as well as being nectar rich. Your comments are 'very' appreciated. I have read the health benefits of raw pollen are phenomenal! Pollen being 'very rich' in essential 'vitamins', 'minerals', as well as 'antioxidants'  "Sort of like a having a nutritional store in our very own back yard", 'if you will allow me to indulge on that thought' lol..
 

Phillip

[Ben Framed]

Member your timing plan makes sense. If I remember correctly you and I are both in zone 7 though several hundred miles apart per Longitude. I wonder if others here have a pollen trap program or 'schedule' they basically use in collecting their pollen as well?
For that matter, I am interested in hearing from our members here who collect pollen. 
Their may be many who collect pollen, or their may be very few pollen collections here? Pollen collecting might be an isolated befit?  Thanks Oldbeavo, Jimmy, Nigel and Member for your replies...

Phillip

[jimineycricket]

Reply to #4
           There is natural pollen available in my area before it is warm enough for my bees to fly.   There is still natural pollen available when they settle down for the winter.   No more hives than I run, it wouldn't make sense to waste my time trapping pollen. So yes I agree with Oldbeavo.

[The15thMember]

Reply to #4
           There is natural pollen available in my area before it is warm enough for my bees to fly.   There is still natural pollen available when they settle down for the winter.   No more hives than I run, it wouldn't make sense to waste my time trapping pollen. So yes I agree with Oldbeavo.

I think part of the discrepancies in this discussion may be stemming from two different reasons for pollen trapping.  I agree with you Jimmy, that in an area like mine and yours and Nigel's, it would be a waste of energy and time to trap pollen just to feed it back to the bees when there is plenty for them to gather themselves all season long.  But I am trapping pollen for my own use, not to feed it back to the bees. 

[Ben Framed]

I will add amino acids to the list that I posted in reply 7. Pollen is an amazing product of nature, and bioproduct of our bees! Yuppies, Millennials, athletes, and everyday health conscious folks including teenagers, Moms and Dads, flood the health and nutrition stores in my area in search of Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, and Amino Acids paying 'top dollar' for these bottles of vitamins and minerals etc., it's like a revolving door and big business! A small fortune! lol (ie) (exaggerated figure of speech)
While we can find it all in our pollen!!! ...

Adding: I, Myself have paid $20 an pound for raw pollen from a local beekeeper about 3 years ago... Just another reason to trap it myself. lol

Reply 7

Thank you both, I also live in a pollen rich location as well as being nectar rich. Your comments are 'very' appreciated. I have read the health benefits of raw pollen are phenomenal! Pollen being 'very rich' in essential 'vitamins', 'minerals', as well as 'antioxidants'  "Sort of like a having a nutritional store in our very own back yard", 'if you will allow me to indulge on that thought' lol..
 

Thanks Member 

Phillip

[Oldbeavo]

We have a resource that i will try and get Karen to find but it gives the amino acid profiles of Australian pollen's. There are very few that have complete profiles and some of our Autumn pollens can lack some amino acids.
The problem is that bees will not use artificial pollen if they are collecting any pollen at all, regardless of the quality.
It would be interesting to see if bees would use Spring collected pollen in Autumn when quantity is fine but quality is low.
MPO is that bees do not differentiate pollen quality, they just haul it in. We have them bring in corn pollen even though it is very poor quality.

[Ben Framed]

That will be interesting. The more I read about pollen, the more my interest is spurred! Tell Karen thanks for me, and thank you too OldBeavo!

Phillip

[Brian MCquilkin]

The problem is that bees will not use artificial pollen if they are collecting any pollen at all, regardless of the quality.
It would be interesting to see if bees would use Spring collected pollen in Autumn when the quantity is fine but the quality is low.

Have had great success open feeding dry pollen Sun(bee-pro) both in spring and Autumn-Fall. Put the dry pollen away from the hives so the bee can forage it and bring it back into the hive. If they won't take it they have found a better source.

[The15thMember]

We have a resource that i will try and get Karen to find but it gives the amino acid profiles of Australian pollen's. There are very few that have complete profiles and some of our Autumn pollens can lack some amino acids.

This is a big thing to remember when people talk about pollen being a "perfect food".  It's a variety of pollen which contains all the amino acids and vitamins/minerals, both for bees and people.   

It would be interesting to see if bees would use Spring collected pollen in Autumn when quantity is fine but quality is low.
MPO is that bees do not differentiate pollen quality, they just haul it in. We have them bring in corn pollen even though it is very poor quality.

I've experienced the same thing with corn pollen.  I listened to a podcast a while back which was discussing how the nutritional profiles of spring and fall pollen are often quite different and feeding out of season pollen could have a negative impact on bee health. 

[Ben Framed]

Quote from: Oldbeavo on February 18, 2022, 04:53:54 pm
We have a resource that i will try and get Karen to find but it gives the amino acid profiles of Australian pollen's. There are very few that have complete profiles and some of our Autumn pollens can lack some amino acids.
Quote

The15thMember
This is a big thing to remember when people talk about pollen being a "perfect food".  It's a variety of pollen which contains all the amino acids and vitamins/minerals, both for bees and people.

Food for thought:
I suppose the Pollinator type beekeeper will have his bees concentrated on a specific crop in many cases per the definition of his business, paid Pollinator Beekeeper. In that case I tend agree with the both of you. The pollen 'variety' in his pollen will be limited to those specific crops centered on. The more so the better the job the pollinator is doing for his customer. (demonstrating the bees are concentrating of the crop employed)

However I think is fair to point out, the average beekeeper, will have his bees located in areas which will have a 'variety' of 'sources' of both 'pollen and nectar'. This beekeepers' goal will in most cases, be focused on honey production, (the main reason for keeping bees for most beekeepers), along with the pleasure of it, and of course others reasons as well.

Most pollen that I have seen which was collected for sale had a clear 'variety' of different pollens from 'several' sources as 'can be seen by the color' of the pollen collected.  A vast variety of colors should equal a vast variety of pollen types collected.

I do not know that pollen is the 'perfect food'. I have also heard that statement before as well. But, I think there is little doubt of the claimed health benefits of the rich quantities of vitamins, amino acids, proteins etc which are found in pollen. There have been many studies and papers which confirm this bounty of nature.

Phillip

[Ben Framed]

I had asked here on the forum before of the benefits of corn for both pollen and nectar. I was told corn pollen had a lesser amount of protein and little value in nectar. I live in an area of a variety of different sources of crops and cattle, woods and fields, pastures and wild flowers etc, corn being one crop in my county. I have never seen a beekeeper place bees on corn, (hobbyist or pollinator), as corn is a self pollinating, a wind blown pollinator I was told.

Phillip

[Oldbeavo]

Phillip
We were pollinating lucerne/alfalfa beside a corn crop.
The link for pollen quality in Australia is in an article by Duog Sommerville, Oz bee guru.
The whole article is a good read but pollen is in section 6

https://www.agrifutures.com.au/product/fat-bees-skinny-bees-a-manual-on-honey-bee-nutrition-for-beekeepers/

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Oldbeavo, have you noticed much pollen form the corn, or do they pretty well stay on the alfalfa? ...