Irradated pollen?

[Storm™]

See. Now aren't you glad I put that bibs link up. Think of all the money you've saved and hassle and stress

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is this any good?

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Stakich-BEE-POLLEN-GRANULES-10-LB/dp/B001M06ZD8/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_3[/ame]

$69 for 10lbs $25 shipping.

There are two reviews on it and one is from somebody in Plymouth. Paid duty at customs but no mention of any inspection.

 

[Finman]

.
Those pollen for human comsuption are not irradiated.
Who ever may put pollen into jar and sell them, like many beekeepers do.

In Finland irradiated pollen is 12 euros/kg

Swienty sells beepollen in 500 g pack. I did not find mention about irradiation

http://www.swienty.com/shop/vare.asp?side=0&vareid=114802

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ah

 

[Halfuncial]

Tell Me more

I've not put pollen on for bees in the past but as I'm a new boy that's no surprise. I have some pollen from a trip to the South of France last year. Its sitting in a very pretty jar in the larder. So why should I give it to my bees?
I'm assuming its to 'get them going' early but some clarification would be good.
Also, why irradiated? Hombre mentioned that there are lots of people looking for irradiated pollen. Should I just go buy a big old box of jars of pollen and zap them and sell them on? I'm happy to help if I can...
More info please?

Ta

 

[Storm™]

Irradiated because its sterile and carries less risk of spreading disease to your colony
Pollen because its very high in protein and helps spring build up.

Zap them = irradiated = radiation source. If you can do that or have access to that I am sure you will clear a tidy profit lol. Good luck.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Good idea,buy from them up in Chesterfield for £443.75 per 25kg, and get irradiated yourself,then sell on...

 

[Halfuncial]

OK, so £443.75 per 25kg = £17.75kg
Down in Swindon they will irradiate a tote (large plastic tray) for £25 with a minimum charge of £145. So put the 25kg through and the combined cost comes to...
£443.75 + £145 = £17.75kg = £23.55 If you ad £5 a kilo and £1 for packaging for taking to Swindon and back you get £29.55 a kilo and a profit of £125 for your trouble.
So how much demand is there for £30 a kilo irradiated pollen? It sounds awfully expensive to me and I haven't been a beekeper long enough to catch the agressivley frugal gene that many seem to sport!
It's a plan but is it profitable?

 

[Finman]

China sells irradiated pollen 4 euros per kilo. In Finland it is sold 12 euros per kilo.

Fee Bee is not as good as self made pollen patty but bees eate it.
The consumption was about 50% that of DIY patty. It means 50% less bees, but more than Zero.

Our reseller told couple of days ago that selling pollen is not a business. Beekeepers use it so little that is more nuisance than business. That is why perhaps you have not reseller in UK.

Reseller has a good opportunity to get imago of "AFB deliverer" and that imago is not worth of business, even if the disese has not come from pollen.

 

[jezd]

It's a plan but is it profitable?

Glad you did that, saved me a lot of work lol, exactly, silly numbers!

 

[Halfuncial]

Well, what can I say? At £17.75kg it seems expensive but not impossible if it really helps the girls out. At £30kg it seems mad! I've got a jar in the cupboard, like I said. I'll get my mate to irradiate it for me and see if my bees like it. The trouble is that he irradiates stuff as a favour to me. If I wanted to handle the stuff commercially I wouldn't even ask him, I'd just pay the big boys to do it for me.
What I don't get is that here in the UK it seems expensive compared to those euro prices, just the pollen that is. How come we can't buy pollen here for a fiver a kilo?

 

[Midland Beek]

I have some pollen from a trip to the South of France last year. Its sitting in a very pretty jar in the larder. .... Also, why irradiated? .... More info please?

Pollen is eaten in parts of mainland Europe, as in a spoonful on your cornflakes type of thing. Pollen for human consumption is not irradiated - no need.

Why should bees only be fed irradiated pollen? Well, the irradiation is supposed to kill disease pathogens and spores which otherwise might infect the bees that it gets fed to. I believe irradiation denatures every disease nasty that might be lurking in pollen, like American Fould Brood, European Foul Brood, Nosema, etc.

 

[Storm™]

I have also read that in other countries irradiated pollen is not to used on anything that will enter the human food chain. Potentially the pollen could have contaminants. Once irradiated they too can become radioactive. Then your eating radioactive things. If it emits alpha radiation it's a slow very painful death. Think Russian defector a few years ago. Saying that there are many radioactive food stuffs that we eat. Brazil nuts for instance. In an experiment I did I found that one was 200 counts above background. UK background varies a bit but on average it's about 50 counts per second. So that's a lot over background radiation. Coffee, cornflakes, and many others. There are many sources around. I was offered an old Cornish mine already renovated. it's still for sale. Quite cheap. A quick check On it's history revealed that it was the mine Marie Curie got her radium from. Oh yes said the estate agent hahaha erm but there was extensive work done years ago to remove all the top soil. Where did that go I asked. Well most of it was used in the construction of RAF St Morgan. Newquay airport to you and me.

It's everywhere - tritium, radon, everywhere. Which is why I will be using pollen substitute as per finmans recipe. One day Someone will do some tests on a hive and then whoever used irradiated pollen will have their hives burried in Drig Lol. Or maybe they'll get told to shush if Bayer are the main supplier.

 

[Storm™]

Just out of curiosity Halfuncial, if your friend has the ability to irradiate stuff, I would assume he or somewhere in his establishment he has the ability to measure for radiation. He must be a college worker/Xray tech/NDE worker or and this is my guess, a dentist. But if he can measure in a lead castle, radiation levels, get him to measure a piece of your comb. I would be curious as to the results. If he is up for it, get him to measure some old comb, this should have the highest value, and some bridge comb, this should have he lowest value as its newer. Maybe even measure a few dead bees eh.