POLLEN

[KONASDAD]

I have some questions about pollen and pollen traps.
First, I suffer from killer hay fever. Will "inoculating" myself w/ my bee's pollen help? if so, Do you recommend a type of pollen trap?
Secondly, My girls prior to my vacation were returning to the hive w/ huge pollen baskets. Recently, we have had loads of rain, and the bees return w/o pollen baskets. Has the rain washed the pollen temporarily away? I have been advised this is my locations "flow' period.

[Dale]

I have been told, that a tablespoon of local "raw" honey per day will help with hayfever.  I have people request raw honey, but thats what they get anyway.  There is pollen in the honey, and since it is your honey, the same thing that makes you sick will help you in smaller doses.  But you must eat some on a regular basis.


    Pollen is washed out by rain.  Normally it is the older pollen that has dryed and become like dust, you know, the stuff that blows around and gets on your car!  Newer pollen is more moist.  Don't worry, the bees will find the next best thing anyway.

[KONASDAD]

Thanx. I would prefer not to eat honey on a regular basis b/c of the sugar. So pollen trap info would also be appreciated.

[Joe]

I have personally never used a pollen trap, not having an interest in collecting pollen, but have read several articles about them.  The biggest complaint I have heard is that the traps cause many bees to lose their legs as the bees try to pull through the screen/mesh/etc. with their pollen pellets still attached. I don't know how often this occurs and am not sure if it is a major problem.

I have also read that foraging bees tend to only collect pollen or only collect nectar. If the bees sense that they have enough pollen stores and there is a good nectar flow on then maybe the majority of the bees are foraging for nectar and this is the reason why you are seeing many without pollen.

[Brian D. Bray]

My mentor use to have a daily breakfast of honey and peanut butter swirled into a spread and a bowl of fresh fruit with cream.  Being a barber by trade he always smelled of honey, peanut butter, and barbasol, a not unpleasent combination.  Eat honey comb with pollen (beebread) in it to control hayfever.  Hayfever is, after all, a sesitivity; not a true allergy.
Replace all the sugar in your diet with honey--you'll feel better.