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Where this comes from. The figures for trapping, drying and keeping pollen are the FAO’s, and the disease warning is the National Bee Unit’s. The rules for selling it are the law itself and the government’s guidance on food businesses. Sources at the foot of the page.
How a trap works
A pollen trap sits at the entrance and takes pellets off foragers on their way in. It is not thorough. The FAO puts its efficiency at rarely more than 50%, so fewer than half the foragers lose their load. 1
Most traps are made for standard frame hives. 1
What it costs the colony
Every pellet in the tray is food the colony would have used. The FAO warns that collecting pollen can interfere with a colony’s growth and with its honey, and leaves the timing to the standard beekeeping manuals. 1
Where the bees fly matters too. Do not collect pollen from an area with heavy industrial, urban or agricultural pollution, pesticides included. 2
Empty the trap every day
In a humid climate the FAO says to collect from the trap daily. 1 A British summer counts.
Drying it
Fresh pollen is damp. Dry it gently, at no more than 40 to 45 °C, until it holds less than 10% water, and ideally 5 to 8%. 1
Keeping it
- Dry, at room temperature: several months. 1
- In the fridge at 5 °C: at least a year. 1
- Frozen at minus 15 °C: many years, with no loss of quality. 1
Keep dried pollen in dark glass, or somewhere dark and cool. 1
Not for other bees
American and European foulbrood can both be carried in pollen, as they can in honey and wax. 3 Treat trapped pollen as you would honey: it does not go from one apiary’s bees to another’s.
Selling it is selling food
Pollen sold to eat is a food, and anyone who sells, stores or handles food to sell may count as a food business. That holds from home, from a stall and online. Register with your local authority at least 28 days before you start. 4
Registering is free and cannot be refused. 5 Selling honey in the UK covers registering in more detail.
The label
A packed jar or bag of pollen carries what any packed food does. That includes the name of the food, the net quantity, the best before date, any special storage conditions, and your name and address. 6
A food made of one ingredient, named after that ingredient, needs no list of ingredients. Bee pollen sold as bee pollen is one. 7
Pollen can cause an allergic reaction, and the risk is greatest when it is eaten as it is. The FAO suggests a line for the label: “This product contains pollen which may cause allergic reactions. Try small quantities first.” 2
What you may not claim
A health claim on food is against the law unless it has been authorised and is on the list of authorised claims. 8
Nothing about a food may say that it prevents, treats or cures a disease, or even refer to such a thing. 9 Say what it is, where it came from and how to keep it, and leave the rest out.
The short version
- A trap catches pellets from fewer than half the foragers, and costs the colony some of its food.
- Not where the bees fly over heavy pollution or pesticides.
- Empty the trap every day.
- Dry it at no more than 40 to 45 °C, to under 10% water. Freeze it to keep it for years.
- It can carry foulbrood, as honey can. Never feed it to another apiary’s bees.
- Selling it is selling food: register, label it as a packed food, add the allergy line, and make no health claims.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.