[PA Pete]

I just put my only Sundance pollen trap on one of my hives that I noticed bringing in large amounts of pollen over the weekend. This is the first time I'm using it.

What all does everyone use their pollen for? Sell? Eat? Feed?

I'm thinking of doing all three...

If you collect pollen in the fall for feeding in the spring, how many hives will a single trap on a strong fall hive feed? Anyone got any good rules of thumb?

If you sell your pollen, where and to whom? What's the going rate? Frozen or "freeze-dried?"

What's pollen good on - cereal? Eaten fresh? I tried a little bit yesterday and today - it has an interesting flavor - not bad... I do have hayfever so I'm taking it easy on my intake until I'm sure I don't have any strange reactions.

Thanks!

 

[GaSteve]

I trapped pollen for the first time this past spring with a Sundance trap. I left it on continuously for a couple months. The hive still brought in enough pollen to expand their numbers. For about 6 weeks or so, if you didn't empty the trap every 2 or 3 days, the tray wouldn't hold all the pollen.

I just collected it, gave it a quick check to pick out any debris (there was very little), and tossed it in the freezer. I sold most of it for $10 a pound and told all customers that they need to keep it frozen because it is perishable. As far as flavor goes, it's really potent stuff. A spoonful a day is plenty. I recommend sprinkling on cereal or toast (with honey of course).

I kept a small amount out of the freezer at room temperature just to see what would happen. I expected it to mold, but it never did. But after a couple weeks, the flavor was just too strong to tolerate.

I've never tried feeding it. I wonder if you have to pulverize the pellets to get the bees to take it.

 

[power napper]

This was our first year with lots of pollen. We use it every morning for our "power breakfast". Started out slowly using it and am now up to a heaping tablespoon or pollen and a tablespoon of honey in a cup, fill with hot water--good!
Then a slice of whole wheat toast with a teaspoon of peanut butter and all the pollen that sticks to the peanut buttered toast when sprinkled onto the peanut butter.
We sold some in quarts for twelve dollars at farmers market.
We freeze it immediately, have some partially dehydrated and vaccuum sealed in quart jars and some in freezer. Goldenrod pollen has just started and is a delicious pollen, jewelweed pollen is tasty also.
Dip end of bannana into pollen--good! Sprinkle on cereal, sprinkle on yogurt, ice cream, pudding etc. Make a soft pollen-honey candy-good!
We just ordered another sundance II pollen trap to collect more of it, did not know what we were missing.
When trying pollen for the first time it is wise to start slow, a few grains, next day a few more and slowly work yourself up to a teaspoon. My one son had to cut back on pollen for a few days as it cause digestive problems, now he is using a tablespoon of pollen a day.
I don't know about feeding it but we will try to give patties of pollen/honey to the bees this coming spring.
Every day when the pollen trap is collected we taste each batch of pollen, the uniqueness of the flavors is surprising. My wifes favorite pollen is August pollen, my favoriet is May pollen.

 

[Ardilla]

As a pollen consumer, I've been paying $10 to $12 per pound for fresh (refrigerated) pollen. $16/lb. is not unheard of when touted as "local" etc.

With those prices, I will definitely be getting a trap when I start my hives next spring.

 

[Dan Williamson]

I have 3 Sundance I traps and 1 Sundance II trap. I only ran the Sundance II for a couple of weeks this year. I think I've got approx 6 one gallon ziploc bags full of pollen in the freezer. I've gotten most of that from the 3 traps.

Frankly, I got probably half of that from one hive but the hive was so nasty I had to requeen it. But man did they bring in the pollen.

I don't really eat it nor have I sold any. I have used it to jump start my colonies in the spring for nuc sales and queen rearing.

When I make patties with it I just mix it with 1:1 sugar syrup in the spring and mix until I get a thick paste that is not runny.

I have also put it in a bowl above an inner cover from right out of the freezer. On warm days they will go up there and roll around in it and take it back below. This is more work for them but less for me!

I have also heard people say that they have taken an empty drawn out frame and poured the pollen pellets over it and let it fill up the cells and then fed it to a colony that way..... I have never tried that.