On Tue, 7 Aug 2001, Bob & Liz wrote:

> Pollen collection has been around for a long time. Tainted pollen is a
> reality is certain areas. I would never consider selling pollen retail
> myself without product liability.

I predict that the opinion I am about to air will not be a popular
one. But it's been niggling at me through this thread on pollen-
eating, so here it is:

I do not think pollen should be eaten by humans, and I do not think it
is responsible for beekeepers to sell it.

There.

The reasons are these: While I don't question that pollen is a
concentrated source of proteins, I recognize also that in flower
pollen there is a concentration of materials from the environment
of the growing plant. The pollen of a flower is just hanging out
there while the flower develops. Anything sprayed on the plant,
anything that drifts by, anything at all, sticks to the pollen
and stays there. The bee collects it and takes it home and tucks
it away in the cupboard. And there is a whole lot of stuff that
drifts across the surface of a flower these days. I seriously
doubt there is anyplace on the planet that can boast of uncompromised
pollen. Pesticides used on cotton in Georgia have been found in
plants in Alaska. We live in a container.

If you are a bee, you have a lifespan of a few weeks. If a chemical
exposure doesn't kill you outright, it doesn't make much difference
what it is. Humans are another matter. Some things we consume can
stay in our bodies for years. Some can begin processes that take
years to show evidence. Some can affect our next generation. Some
of them are unknown to us. Some are known and appreciated, but
perhaps not considered because:

                bee pollen is health food, right?

I don't think it is healthy. It might have been, once (there is another
essay there, regarding whether there are any actual benefits of pollen-
eating by humans who might be willing to spend horrific amounts of money
on possible therapies for desparate ills -- but I won't go down that
road in this one).

I don't think we can possibly know what we are feeding people who buy
our pollen. We make extraordinary efforts to keep our honey pure and
healthful, but then we go right ahead and sell a product that is untested
and unattested to by any scientific means. Just because someone is
willing to buy to it an impressive price, it's not necessarily a good
thing to sell.

Susan
--
Susan Nielsen                   | Beehive: If you build it,
[log in to unmask]            | they will comb.