Pollen extraction from frames

[jeff33]

Good morning all,
I was in the process of making pollen patties with pollen stored in my freezer by mixing it with fondant. I scrapped the pollen last autumn from full frames and in the process collected a fair bit of wax mixed with the pollen.

I am sure the bees won't mind having wax in their patties but I was wondering if it would be possible to put frames of pollen over a sieve or similar in a solar wax melter for separation as an easier option? I have the feeling that it may turn into a mess. Has anyone tried it?

 

[Poly Hive]

Pollen is sealed over with honey in the comb so no.

Pollen is normally collected via pollen trapping.

In one respect though you are right: it would be messy.

PH

 

[Finman]

Hopeless Job. I have seen from youtube how to extract frozen pollen frame with still machine. Terrible, when I tried it. Pollen has 30% honey, and it is like a glue. And all those larva silk.

Give the frame with pollen next brood frame and bees use it.

One way is take full pollen frame on summer to the freezer store. When you give it in spring to each give, you get a good kick start from them.

And one way is to use commercial patty, which has protein 50%.
.

.

 

[Finman]

.
Bees use to store pollen into dark combs. If you give a white combs, you propably get nothing.

 

[jeff33]

Unfortunately I have used my allowed quota of freezer space for anything other than food...scrapping it was the last option
Thanks both.

 

[mbc]

There is a market for bee bread and abelo sell a little punch device for collecting it cell by cell from the frame
https://www.abelo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Pollen-Collection-Tool.jpg
Looks a bit tedious but thought it was interesting.
Pollen loses its nutritional value quite easily just by storage at room temperature so I wouldn't think heat or too much messing about with it would do it any good at all.

 

[jeff33]

There is a market for bee bread and abelo sell a little punch device for collecting it cell by cell from the frame
https://www.abelo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Pollen-Collection-Tool.jpg
Looks a bit tedious but thought it was interesting.
Pollen loses its nutritional value quite easily just by storage at room temperature so I wouldn't think heat or too much messing about with it would do it any good at all.

I saw this device before and thought....who on earth would have the time and patience to deal with it!!

 

[ShinySideUp]

Unfortunately I have used my allowed quota of freezer space for anything other than food...scrapping it was the last option
Thanks both.

My apologies but you do mean scraping not scrapping? I was a bit confused at first.

 

[jeff33]

My apologies but you do mean scraping not scrapping? I was a bit confused at first.

Yes scraping, after 22 years here I am still battling with the intricacies of the English language !!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But why would you want to?

 

[jeff33]

But why would you want to?

Learn the secrets of the English language or separate wax from pollen? No particular reason other than wanting a cleaner batch of pollen to satisfy my ocd.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Learn the secrets of the English language or separate wax from pollen? No particular reason other than wanting a cleaner batch of pollen to satisfy my ocd.

But why would you want to give the bees pollen supplement? When the time comes for them to need it (now) there's plenty of it around them.

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[DanBee]

I was wondering if it would be possible to put frames of pollen over a sieve or similar in a solar wax melter for separation as an easier option?

The (temperature x duration) would destroy most of the nutritional value of any pollen recovered.

 

[Finman]

The (temperature x duration) would destroy most of the nutritional value of any pollen recovered.

Jeff may put the pollen frames directly into hives and bees use the pollen from cells, like they have done millions of years and during many Ice Aces.

Bees do the pollen store and they know how to use the store.
.

 

[Finman]

But why would you want to give the bees pollen supplement? When the time comes for them to need it (now) there's plenty of it around them.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

I have used patty system 28 years. I get bigger yields. With extra feeding I get small nucs to productive hives in one month.

When time comes, I have already a box of new nurser bees in my hives and the box full of brood.

I use big hives as brood factories and I support small colonies build up with emerging brood.

.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have used patty system 28 years. I get bigger yields. With extra feeding I get small nucs to productive hives in one month.

When time comes, I have already a box of new nurser bees in my hives and the box full of brood.

I use big hives as brood factories and I support small colonies build up with emerging brood.

.

Didn't realise you lived in Swansea Finsky.
Being an expert on Google doesn't mean you know anything about beekeeping around here.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[jeff33]

JB, pollen has been pretty slow around here, hopefully the warmer weather this week will help. I have a hive with hardly any pollen in so I wanted to give it a small boost.

 

[Finman]

Didn't realise you lived in Swansea Finsky.
Being an expert on Google doesn't mean you know anything about beekeeping around here.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

Bad day. Isn't it?

I googled "beekeeping in swansea" and now I know how to add supers there.

A free hint. I add supers according size of colony and not so, how bees fill supers with honey.
One medium super has 32 lbs honey. I use to give super volume to 250 lbs at same time when I move hives to summer pastures.


If the hive is not big enough, I join two hives.

 

[Beefriendly]

But why would you want to give the bees pollen supplement? When the time comes for them to need it (now) there's plenty of it around them.

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Perhaps because the weather in my area (at least) has been so cold and wet they haven't been able to get out and fly for more than a few hours in the last few weeks. There is pollen available but they cannot get to it.
So substitutes have been added; some hives are wolfing it down, some are ignoring it. Will remove it next week when double figure temps are forecast.

 

[Beefriendly]

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