Pollen - tips on harvesting and purifying

[London-Scottish]

As with the thread title, I'm keen to exploit pollen as best I can after seeing much of it wasting below my open mesh floors.

So far I have stared to gather by collecting in a tray laid below the mesh floor.
Question is, how do I separated all the unwanted 'bits' and 'debris' from the pollen. Ie rogue mites and other insect parts that find their way into my collection trays.

Can't find much info on this aspect of pollen collection other than buying specific devises to capture, but these also seem almost too efficient and I'm really just interested in passive collection as a by product etc.

Just curious as to best way to process / purify for consumption!?

Differing and any opinions most welcome

 

[Little John]

But you're talking 'consumption' (either bees or humans) - so, once pollen has hit the floor - forget it. Sod picking through the crap for it - pretty good way of spreading disease - and anyway, life's too short to buqqer about like that.

Pollen traps are easy enough to make - you're looking at a number of 4.5-5.0 mm holes in some kind of vertical 'fence', with a removable collection container beneath, having a 3 mm mesh top, to allow the pollen to drop through into the container, yet deny the bees access. Make the trap weatherproof, and that's it !

Collect the pollen every few days, dry it (even freeze dry it ?), and store either in an air-tight container, or in the freezer until needed. Suggest you run the trap one week on, two weeks off.

LJ

 

[Little John]

Here's possibly the simplest method of collecting pollen. Case is made of metal sheet, but plywood would be ok ...