We harvest our pollen with traps set underneath the hive. The traps have small holes that the worker bees must pass through when returning to the hive. As they go through the holes, the pollen granules are knocked off their legs into a tray. We harvest fresh pollen almost every day in the spring. A strong bee hive can fill a single pollen trap with a quart of pollen in a day or two. Though the pollen is usually fairly clean, we will pick out or blow out with a fan any debris. Once harvested, the pollen is stored in the freezer. Fresh pollen can be stored in the refrigerator (15-30 days) or freezer (months) to prevent it from molding. The pollen is usually a mix of light orange, yellow, green, and brown granules. Occasionally there are some red granules. It all depends on what plants and flowers the bees are gathering from. Taste can vary as well, but a lot of what we gather has a mild sweet nutty flavor to it.

Taking bee pollen granules has many health benefits. Taking up to 2 tablespoons a day can be great for overall health and increased energy. Athletes have taken bee pollen for better performance. If you have any known allergies start slow, taking only one to two granules a day and building up. Taking bee pollen, like honey, can help reduce allergies and for best results, should be taken several months before the pollen season starts.