Hi Andy and Alden, I've read your posts about cleaning pollen, etc. I think both of you err since you don't make the distinction between the hobby collector (like me) and the commerical one. Incidentally I freeze mine AFTER it's dried to prevent wax-worm egg hatch out--it is ALWAYS present. The dried pollen is sold in one-pound queenline jars. I don't have any problems w/ mold, vermin, etc. I've been doing it sinc 1982 (1982). I will bee the first to admit that my method is labor-intensive! Again, "suum cuique." That's what makes the world go around. On Mon, 9 Feb 1998, Andy Nachbaur wrote: > At 12:35 AM 2/9/98 -0500, you wrote: > > ><see you are in the Northeast. With our relatively high humidity, do you > >dry the pollen? > > > Yes indeed, I have a vented solar drier that works very well. It > >will hold three 1.5' x 2.5' screen bottom trays. It takes about 1 sunny > >day to dry the pollen to pass the pinch test (if pollen pellets pinched > >together do not adhere dry enough), real scientific huh? Pollen keeps for > >months in tightly sealed jars without molding. Pellets are not so dry > >that a hard pinch can't crumble them. > > Hi Alden & Bee Friends, > > Maybe I don't believe bee pollen is God's gift of food to man but I do know > from personal commercial experience producing pollen and working with > others who had commercial interests in marketing pollen a tad about how it > can be done commercially so that the pollen is acceptable to the bulk > pollen buyer and the consuming public. > > First let me say that IMHO most who dry pollen are not selling a natural > product as even the bees would have a hard time when its that hard and much > of the food value for bees would be destroyed in just a few hours of sun or > heating. I agree that if you live in an area of high moisture you must > take steps to preserve and protect the pollen from moisture most do this in > the construction of the trap itself, but at the same time cooked pollen is > like cooked honey and may have much local value to a large number of local > producers but certainly would not have much food value left after cooking > off those magic ingredients that are already in such minute quantizes in > natural fresh frozen pollen that so many seek in promoting pollen for human > consumption as an natural organic food supplement in the major marketing > streams. > > > I clean my pollen whereas most who freeze instead of dry do not. I defy > anyone who does not dry >pollen to do a descent job of cleaning in any > reasonable period of time. Of course > >there are arguments for and against both freezing and drying. The few I > know in this area who trap >freeze it. > > Again lets not paint everyone with the same brush, I have never had to dry > pollen and I have never known a commercial pollen producer who dried pollen > but I only know a few of those in the southwest, Arizona, Colorado, and > California and none had a moisture problem. The two pollen cleaning > machines I used left little for the sorters to hand pick out. I have no > idea what would cause anyone to believe that those who produce pollen in > the dry southwest or the desert areas would have any interest in drying > pollen or be less likely to do a good job cleaning their pollen before sale > then any other beekeeper trying to do a good job in preparing his pollen > for market, this just has not been my own experience working with other > pollen producers. > > I only write this so that maybe others will figure out that there is more > then one way to produce good high quality pollen. Fresh frozen pollen can > be used in more ways then cooked or dried pollen which is important if you > sell it in bulk and just maybe we should remember there are others doing > the same good job we are doing using a different method but doing a equally > good job. I even had an interest in a pill press and the pollen could not > be as moisture free as dried pollen described above or it would not bind > into a solid pill without adding a binder. > > ttul, the OLd Drone > > * This message certified 100% tagline free. > > > > (c)Permission is given to copy this document > in any form, or to print for any use. > > (w)OPINIONS are not necessarily facts. USE AT OWN RISK! > **John Iannuzzi, Ph.D. **38 years in apiculture **12 hives of Italian honeybees **At Historic Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042, U.S.A. (10 miles west of Baltimore, Maryland) [9772 Old Annapolis Rd - 410 730 5279] **"Forsooth there is some good in things evil For bees extract sweetness from the weed" -- Bard of Avon **Website: http://www.xmetric.com/honey **Email: [log in to unmask] [1jan981031est]