Alden Marshall
B-Line Apiaries
Hudson, NH 03051
[log in to unmask]
tel. 603-883-6764
 
On Tue, 10 Feb 1998 08:14:08 -0600 "Excerpts from BEE-L"
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Reply-to:      Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
>From:          Andy Nachbaur <[log in to unmask]>
>
>><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.
>
>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
>       Well, I am refering to the ones who fit the shoe. I believe it
is possible to use a solar drier to dry pollen without cooking it. The
temp in the vented drier rarely exceeds 110F and the pollen is never
exposed to the sunlight, touchet with the paint brush :-), you are of
course correct. I see some of this frozen stuff that has never been
cleaned and - well I have to look at most of the stuff I eat and I'm just
not psyched up for bee part protien and brood capings.
        The trap drawers do have screen vents to keep moisture to a
minimum but I have never been able to keep it from fermenting without
drying. Sometimes it is so moist it all burt dumps out in a lump. A few
hours in the drier and the pellets are all loose again. I do have to
freeze it after drying because wax moth eggs are still viable.
 
>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
        I like to think of my drying as replicating these southwest
conditions. If nothing else discussion causes one to be more specific.
        Thanks for the comments.
 
>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!
>
 
_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]