on Feb 25, 2018 608 Views

How nice it is to watch the picture: working bees fly from flower to flower and buzz sweetly. And if you think about it, you understand that this is a most valuable and labor-intensive process. The bees grab flower pollen on their paws and carry it to their home, where they prepare milk from it - the diet of the larvae and the queen. Let's talk about bee pollen, its beneficial properties and contraindications.

Flower and bee pollen are different concepts. Even in biology lessons, we were told that pollen is produced from the anthers of plants. We need another type of such a wonderful gift of nature. Bee pollen is a variety of nuggets that have been processed by the enzymes of buzzing workers. This pollen has a beautiful name - pollen.

Collecting and storing pollen is a complex and time-consuming process. A worker bee makes about 10 flights a day. During one such flight, she can bring about 20 mg of pollen. Experienced beekeepers have developed unique technologies for collecting this valuable gift of nature. So, they set traps - obstacles where the bees lose part of their prey.

It should be noted how significant, important and necessary bee pollen is for the growth and development of the inhabitants of the hive. How does this complex chain happen? Bee pollen is the most important food product for the entire family, which confidently occupies the highest level of the pedestal in importance. This invaluable vital component can increase the mass of the larva hundreds of times in just a couple of days. Thanks to this food raw material, the wings of growing bees straighten and become stronger, and all the working glands are formed.

An important and interesting fact is that bee pollen is a product for the production of royal jelly. But this delicacy is necessary for the queen of the uterus. This is a clear picture of how useful and significant pollen is for the growth and development of such huge bee offspring: for little larvae, nurse bees, and builders.

So, we figured out that bee pollen is an amazing gift of nature that is simply necessary for humans. The benefits of this product are invaluable for pregnant women, nursing mothers, growing children, athletes and men who continue the family line.

Praise and glory to the gifts of the sun and flowers!

Bee pollen is far ahead of honey in terms of the content of nutrients and beneficial substances. Just think how rich its composition is! Let's look at it:

• About 500 microelements needed by our body are contained in these pollen grains.
• It also contains no less than 28 elements of the famous periodic table. Bee pollen is especially rich in iron, potassium and calcium, as well as phosphorus, chromium, and sodium.
• It contains almost all the amino acids that the human body needs, as well as vitamins of different groups - C, D, A, B, E.

And what a beneficial effect bee pollen has on the human body! These include:

• Boosting immunity.
• Antibacterial action. Pollen is simply a fighter against germs and bacteria.
• Strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
• Increase in hemoglobin.
• Recovery after physical activity and illness. Improving athletic performance.
• Obnozhka is an antidepressant. Stress and inflammation have become their worst enemy due to its high vitamin C content.
• Improving the functioning of the digestive system.
• Normalization of the activity of the endocrine system.
• Stimulates brain activity, increases concentration, mental clarity and memory.
• Maintaining cardiac activity.
• Being a stimulant, bee pollen increases libido and sexual arousal.

Experts say that healing pollen is an excellent source of protein. So, 20 g of pollen is equivalent to 1 kilogram of meat. Bee pollen is a natural gift that cannot be duplicated in composition or created chemically. It is considered the record holder for the content of provitamin A, and there is much more carotene in pollen than in carrots.

As diverse as our flower world is, bee pollen varies in appearance and color. Just as each flower is valuable in its own way, pollen has a particularly beneficial effect on a certain area of ​​the body. This is confirmed by numerous reviews of bee pollen:

• Pollen collected from sage is an assistant for the functioning of the intestines and all digestive organs.
• The lemon-yellow cover of rapeseed is valued by nutritionists in the treatment of ulcers.
• Thyme pollen grains are the best antiseptic.
• The gifts of linden are soothing, and buckwheat helps in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
• Pine pollen will be useful for men. This pollen is a medicine given by nature and helps solve problems with impotence and reduced sperm activity.
• For pregnant women, bee pollen will help compensate for the lack of folic acid, which is necessary for the full formation and development of the baby in the womb.

Having understood the beneficial properties of bee pollen, let's look at how to properly take this valuable product. Let us immediately pay attention to several warnings: we approach all recommendations wisely, without fanaticism or abuse. We definitely consult with experts.

Fasting is the best time to consume pollen. The classic scheme is:

1. Pollen intake is introduced gradually, starting from 1 g of product per day and increasing to the prescribed dose.
2. For the treatment and prevention of diseases, it is recommended to take 2 teaspoons of pollen per day.
3. It is advisable to distribute the daily dose into 2-3 doses.
4. Keep the grains in your mouth until completely dissolved. Only then will the flower gift bring the proper benefit to every cell.
5. Take the cover 30 minutes before meals. The indicated dose is sufficient for treatment and recovery.
6. The course of taking the natural drug is 3 weeks, then we take a break for at least a month.

Only a doctor can prescribe the correct dose depending on the weight and individual characteristics of the body.

Who is harmed by bee pollen?

A wonderful pollen, unfortunately, can also cause harm. It has its own contraindications for use. So, it should not be taken by people who suffer from individual intolerance. Often a person is allergic directly to the pollen of a particular plant. People with a medical history of blood sugar problems are also not recommended to take pollen and honey. Unreasonable consumption of pollen leads to vitamin deficiency.

What is the shelf life of bee pollen? Pollen should be stored in a dark place for up to 2 years. But we must understand that its beneficial properties decrease over time. The optimal storage temperature is up to 20°, and humidity is no more than 75%.

Eating bee pollen will bring a feeling of spring and joy into our lives. This gift from bees provides the body with the substances necessary for health and beauty. By using pollen, we regain the health lost over the years of life and simply become younger before our eyes.

Striped worker at work

Most people believe that bees are excellent suppliers of honey. Many of them do not even realize, especially those who live in cities, that in addition to this valuable product, friendly striped workers produce many other substances useful for human health from natural materials. Among them are:

as well as many other useful products, the regular use of which has helped both adults and children.

As we see, beekeeping is a fairly rich industry in medicinal substances. Among the bee products listed above, pollen plays a very important role. While there is some information about bee substances from meadow grasses, weeds, and sunflowers, products from birch, pine and other trees are used less frequently and have been less studied. Although traditional healers have been using birch or pine pollen for medicinal purposes for several millennia, its use has benefited thousands of people.

Among the many similar substances, pine pollen is probably not known to everyone. But in vain, since its usefulness for the human body is extraordinary. The reason for such unsurpassed help in the treatment of various diseases is simple: composition and origin, which are interrelated.

Like any other pollen, the pine “version” of the substance is intended for one purpose: to fertilize female reproductive cells. She contains 27 different minerals. Moreover, she contains enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, microelements, which mean a lot for the full functioning of the human body. Scientists have not yet been able to create it artificially.

Pharmacists in many countries use the substance as a valuable storehouse of vitamins. On its basis, Swedish scientists, for example, created the healing drug “Cernilto”. Doctors of traditional and alternative medicine use the product to treat:

• diseases associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• pulmonary tuberculosis;
• prostatitis, prostate adenoma;
• oncological diseases;
• respiratory diseases;
• diabetes mellitus;
• diseases associated with the nervous system;
• cardiovascular diseases, since when it is consumed, blood vessels become more elastic, blood microcirculation in the heart and brain improves. The presence of flavonoids contributes to a significant reduction in lipids and cholesterol. Therefore, it treats hypertension very well.

Pollen is pollen grains that are collected by striped workers on cross-pollinating plants. Sometimes beekeepers also call it pollen or bee bread.

Flying from plant to plant, striped workers put the product in special “bags” on their legs, and then bring them to the hive. In order to select this valuable product, beekeepers use pollen traps. Their device eliminates the possibility of a bee passing through if it has pollen on it. Therefore, she must throw off most of the bee bread and only after that go to her house. At the bottom of the pollen catcher there is a small mesh box where the pollen lumps fall.

In one arrival, a bee can bring about 25-35 mg of product, and over the course of a whole season, about 6-8 kg of substance can be taken from a bee colony without causing the slightest harm to the bees. It is clear that for such work the beekeeper chooses the strongest families.

The selected pollen must first be dried. It is not recommended to dry it in the sun, as this can lead to the loss of some beneficial microelements. Therefore, it is best to place it in warm, windless weather in the shade. Of course, now there are all sorts of devices and devices for dehydrating products. But these devices are not suitable for such a very delicate and unusual substance.

Drying should take place naturally, which will ensure complete preservation of all useful ingredients. By the way, the concentration of these micro- and macroelements in any pollen is quite high. It should be noted that when vegetables and fruits are dehydrated, about 10-11% by weight remains in dried form. After carrying out the same process with pollen, approximately 94-95% of this product remains. Comments are unnecessary.

Many people do not know how to store bee pollen at home and constantly ask those who have or have dealt with storing the product about this. So, you need to remember about the high hygroscopicity of the product. Therefore, after drying, it is recommended to store it in well-ventilated, dry, dark places with a temperature not exceeding 40°C.

In addition, the most optimal conditions for storing this healing product at home are a half-liter glass jar filled with pollen and filled with liquid fresh honey. Why pour the substance? But the point is that this stops the flow of air and the shelf life of such a canned product is calculated in years. Sometimes the product is sprinkled with powdered sugar, which is also a fairly effective storage method. It is recommended to mix preservative and pollen in a 1:1 ratio. It is not recommended to freeze the bee product, as this may lead to the loss of some of the valuable ingredients of the substance.

Storage conditions and shelf life of bee pollen

The healing properties of bee pollen are much higher than those of honey. Due to the fact that bees treat it with their own enzymes during collection, it is the least allergenic of all beekeeping products. But the beneficial qualities of pollen can quickly be lost. Amino acids and vitamins are lost especially quickly. This is due to the fact that after collection, biochemical processes continue to occur in pollen for a long time, as a result of which beneficial substances are lost. In order for this product to remain medicinal for a long time, it must be properly prepared and stored.

Bee pollen is collected using pollen traps. It is necessary to remove the product from pollen collectors before evening. Leaving pollen overnight can cause dampness.

The composition of pollen consists largely of water. To preserve its beneficial qualities during storage, it must be thoroughly dried. Usually beekeepers use drying cabinets. In the future, the shelf life of the pollen will directly depend on the temperature conditions set in the cabinet.

If drying is carried out in a special room, then the following conditions must be met:

• darkness;
• ventilation;
• humidity not higher than 10%;
• temperature within 20-40 °C.

The collected pollen is scattered on sheets. The layer thickness is about 1 cm. Drying takes three days. It must be stirred periodically.

Dried pollen, ready for storage, has certain properties:

1. It becomes like lumps that are difficult to crush.

When poured onto plywood from a height of 20 cm, it produces a sound similar to a light metallic ringing.

After this, you need to clean the pollen from the debris.

There is a faster way to dry the pollen. To do this, use a vacuum in which the product is dried for 2 hours at a temperature of 120 °C.

Pollen. Storage

To ensure that the useful bee product has a shelf life as long as possible, dried pollen must be preserved immediately. It is best to use a pre-sterilized jar, closing it with a seaming machine.

At home, you can also use another sealed container, for example, a jar with a ground-in lid or a bag. It is important that insects do not get inside. For the same purpose, you should not store the pollen in a warm and humid place. To create optimal storage conditions, the following rules must be observed:

Under such conditions, pollen can be stored for two years. The best place for storage is a dark, dry basement.

But it should be remembered that even if all storage conditions are met, the healing properties of pollen decrease over time. Thus, it is recommended to use pollen stored at home as a medicine only for 1.5 years. When purchasing it at a pharmacy, you need to check the date of manufacture. If you notice that the expiration date is ending, it is better not to buy this product.

Flower pollen in a jar

At home, you can extend the shelf life of pollen by using a natural preservative.

1. Mix with honey in a 1:1 ratio. The result is an excellent remedy used for colds and viral diseases. Honey can not only extend the shelf life, but also improve the taste of the product.
2. Mix with powdered sugar in a ratio of 1:2. The powder adsorbs moisture, extending shelf life, and also removes the bitterness inherent in bee pollen.

Preserved pollen can be stored for up to 5 years. But we must understand that the healing qualities will still be lost. After six months of storage, about 25% of the beneficial properties will be lost, and after a year – about 40%.

Properly collected, stored and stored bee pollen is an excellent preventive and therapeutic agent.

Extending the shelf life of bee pollen and its storage conditions

To increase the shelf life of flower pollen and preserve its medicinal properties, it must be kept in strictly defined conditions. Over time, the benefits of the product are lost due to the biochemical processes occurring in it. There is a special harvesting and storage technology that allows you to preserve the healing qualities and extend the shelf life of flower pollen, even with the highest quality processing and maintenance.

How to prepare pollen for storage at home

To preserve the pollen for a long time, it is important to properly collect and dry it. Collecting is done using pollen collectors. The product must be removed during the day, otherwise it may become damp at night. Moisture from pollen must be removed to avoid the appearance of harmful microorganisms and insects in it.

Drying must be carried out in compliance with certain rules:

1. temperature from 20 to 40 °C;
2. humidity no more than 10%;
3. darkness;
4. good ventilation.

At home, drying should be done on parchment sheets. The pollen is laid out on them in a layer of no more than 1 cm. It is necessary to constantly mix the pollen - at least once a day or more often. The process usually takes about three days. After drying, the pollen is cleaned of impurities using a sieve with cells no larger than 2 mm. For better effect, you can use a fan or hair dryer.

Pollen prepared for storage is collected in dense lumps that do not wrinkle when pressed. If you sprinkle it from a 20-centimeter height, the sound when falling will be metallic.

In industry, drying cabinets are used, which speed up the procedure to one day. The necessary conditions are created inside, and exposure to air flow is also added. Stirring is not necessary with this method.

For long-term preservation of qualities, it is important to know how to store bee pollen correctly. The pollen, which has undergone the necessary preparation, can be kept in glass jars or plastic bags. The container must be sterile. The product is poured into the jars up to the neck, leaving as little air as possible. After this, close tightly with ground-in or screw-on lids. It is important to prevent moisture from getting on the pollen and to ensure complete tightness.

There is no need to compact the pollen, as this can lead to its spoilage. It is unacceptable for insects to get into containers when canning. If tin lids are used, their inner surface must be lubricated with wax, since contact with metal causes unwanted chemical processes. After preservation, bee pollen is ready for storage. The necessary conditions:

• temperature from 0 to 14 °C, optimally 9 °C;
• lack of sunlight and other light;
• low humidity.

Thus, the best place to store canned pollen is in the refrigerator or dry basement. Freezing is unacceptable, since during crystallization all useful elements are destroyed. You should also not store the product in a warm place with high humidity.

How long pollen can be stored depends on its purpose. Hermetically packaged, subject to all necessary storage rules, it retains its beneficial properties for up to one and a half years. Up to 2 years of age, it is permissible to eat pollen. However, for medicinal purposes it must be used as early as possible. During the first year, the concentration of nutrients decreases by almost half. If the pollen has expired or was not stored correctly, product consumption:

1. at best will not bring any benefit;
2. in the worst case, it can cause poisoning or disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.

The use of any expired product entails serious consequences for the body. And pollen is no exception. A healthy product enriched with vitamins can turn into poison. The health of people who eat it depends on how pollen is stored.

If there is a need to leave pollen for a longer period, you can mix it with other products:

• Honey is also useful for the prevention and treatment of many diseases, as well as maintaining immunity. If pollen is mixed with it, observing the proportions of 1:1, the shelf life of bee pollen in this case will be about 5 years. Honey is an excellent preservative and will help the pollen preserve its properties a little longer. This mixture is a good remedy for viral and infectious colds.
• Bee pollen can last longer when mixed with powdered sugar. The substance helps absorb moisture and reduces the feeling of bitterness. Sand and refined sugar are not suitable in this case, since they will not interact with pollen. For one part of pollen you need 2 parts of powdered sugar.

It must be remembered that, even if pollen is stored in such ways, its beneficial qualities fade over time. Even if the product is edible for a long period, the therapeutic effect will remain for a maximum of the first two years. However, the taste will not be lost; the above compounds can be consumed as a treat until the expiration date.

Bee pollen is a very valuable product due to its content of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is widely used in medicine, as well as as a prophylactic agent. It has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, improves blood circulation, and enhances the effect in the treatment of the liver and pancreas. All these qualities do not last long.

If maintained incorrectly, all substances of value are destroyed very quickly. To obtain the effect, storage must be carried out in compliance with all rules, and the use of an expired product is strictly not recommended.

If you have additional information on how else you can extend the shelf life of bee pollen, please leave a comment. We are interested in your experience in this area.

Just like propolis and royal jelly, bee pollen has a lot of substances and microelements that are valuable and useful for the human body. When pollinating flowers, bees pick up the pollen with their furry paws and carry it into the hive. Processed by the secretion of the jaw glands, the pollen turns into bee bread and becomes food for worker bees.

Bee collecting pollen

Beekeepers have found a way to extract this pollen so that people can use it for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Pollen contains all the necessary amino acids, vitamins, proteins and minerals. It is widely used in both traditional and non-traditional medicine. With a systematic approach, it can cure a number of diseases.

The method of collecting, drying, as well as proper storage of pollen affects its healing properties, so all standards must be observed.

Pollen collection can take place either with the participation of bees or independently. In the second case, you can simply pour pollen from the flower into a plastic container. True, this method is not recommended by beekeepers. If the bees have not treated the dust particles with their special secretion, the product will not have its beneficial properties.

The best time to collect is spring and summer. To collect the pollen brought by the bee, you need to install a special catcher on the hives. It will get polluted every time a bee flies inside.

Reference. You need to collect pollen from the hive until the evening; you should never leave the product until the morning, because this way it will become saturated with moisture and spoil. In addition, the active hours of bees last until lunch, after which activity decreases. Therefore, it is easier to collect raw materials before evening.

From the hive, the pollen needs to be moved into a small container. Plastic or glass are better suited than metal: there is a high probability of oxidation. However, such a container will be intermediate; it still needs to be dried. And since the primary raw material consists of 20-30% water, it can be stored in this form for at most 24 hours.

Natural drying

This method requires a certain time and environment. The principle is quite simple, but the conditions must be met as precisely as possible. The collected pollen is laid out in a thin layer up to 20 mm on clean sheets of paper or parchment in a room with low humidity and sufficient ventilation.

The room temperature should be no more than 45 degrees, and direct exposure to sunlight should be excluded. It is better to cover the top with a thin cloth or gauze so that dust does not fall on the pollen and insects do not land. The raw material must be stirred 3 times a day to ensure uniform drying.

This drying time usually lasts up to 5 days, depending on the initial water content of the product. You can recognize readiness by sound. If you pour dry pollen onto a table, the sound will be similar to a metallic tinkling sound.

Drying cabinet

This procedure is of higher quality and professional. Drying in a special cabinet significantly reduces the process time, and the raw materials do not need to be mixed. In addition, this treatment completely eliminates the possibility of changes in air temperature and humidity, as a result of which pollen may lose its beneficial qualities. If desired, you can build a drying cabinet yourself.

Depending on the equipment, moisture is removed from the raw materials within 1-2 days. Manufacturers usually indicate the exact time. In such a cabinet you can dry up to 10-15 kg of product at a time. The drying process is carried out using special infrared lighting, the desired temperature is maintained automatically.

After the drying stage, you need to sift the product from excess debris and dust using a fine sieve, fan or hair dryer. This way it will be stored longer and will not lose its beneficial effects.

Pollen drying cabinet

Proper storage

Important. The shelf life of bee pollen, if all conditions are met, is no more than 2 years. To ensure that the product does not lose its most valuable properties, it is necessary to strictly follow storage rules.

The question of how to properly store prepared bee pollen at home should be approached with all seriousness. A dark glass container with a tightly sealed lid is best for storage. The room requires relative darkness, dryness, cleanliness and a temperature of 20ºC. If there is no special storage, then you can safely put it in the refrigerator. Cold helps preserve nutrients and prevents the appearance of insects. Freezing prepared pollen is contraindicated.

Before packaging the product in jars, they must be sterilized with alcohol or steam. This way you will be sure that no bacteria will disturb the pollen storage conditions.

How to extend shelf life

Ready pollen can be preserved with honey. This method can extend the shelf life of your product up to 5 years due to the properties of honey as a natural preservative. At the same time, the pollen will not lose its valuable qualities at all.

Beekeepers advise taking the components in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. The mixture is placed in sterile jars, which are closed with nylon lids. The lids must be pre-treated with paraffin or wax.

Pollen storage

Benefits of Canning

If you preserve pollen with honey, you can not only extend its shelf life without losing its properties, but also achieve a number of additional advantages. Of all the advantages of this method, it is worth pointing out the following facts:

• After preservation, the characteristic bitterness is eliminated.
• Mixed with honey, pollen will be much tastier and more enjoyable. It will be much easier to feed children with such goodness.
• When combined with honey, the healing properties of pollen are enhanced.
• This mixture contains more vitamins and nutrients.

Conclusion

If all the rules and conditions during collection, drying and storage were observed, then in your jars in the near future there will be a small storehouse of colossal medicinal and simply useful substances for the human body. Such a lifesaver jar will stimulate the functioning of all organs, protect the immune system, promote general tone and will be useful for both adults and children.

Collecting and storing bee pollen is a rather difficult and labor-intensive task. But at the same time, every beekeeper should know how to handle this apiary product.

Therefore, try to approach the process of collecting and drying pollen as responsibly as possible so that you end up with a high-quality and healthy product.

Why does pollen quickly lose its beneficial properties?

The rather “unpleasant” properties of pollen are considered to be that its life-giving properties quickly dissipate, even despite high-quality storage conditions, and first of all, the vitamins and amino acids that it contains disappear.

This feature is due to the fact that even after the pollen has been collected, various biochemical reactions continue in it, due to which the loss of important nutrients occurs.

Collection This beekeeping product usually occurs in summer and spring with the help of pollen traps, but not during the main honey flow. This option can increase the profitability of your apiaries by up to 130% or more.

So how to properly collect bee pollen? You should remove pollen from the pollen trap every day before dark, as pollen that you leave overnight may become damp.

Drying pollen. After it is collected, it needs to be dried:

• in a darkened room (drying cabinets can be used);
• it should be well ventilated;
• the temperature there is about 20-40 ° C.

The collected pollen should be scattered on sheets of paper in a layer that does not exceed 1 centimeter. Dry it this way for 3 days.

And don't forget to stir the pollen from time to time. It is also possible to make this process faster by increasing the air temperature to 40 degrees, but maintaining humidity (not higher than 10%). This will shorten your drying time by several hours.

When the pollen is ready, it will have certain characteristics:

1. You will feel that it is in the form of separate hard lumps that you cannot crush;
2. When you pour dried pollen onto plywood from a height of 20-25 cm, you will hear a sound that resembles a metallic ringing.

You can see a variety of debris in the pollen, so you can get rid of it with the help of a fan or hair dryer.

The second way to dry pollen

To ensure long shelf life and good preservation of pollen, you need to preserve it immediately. It is advisable to place our valuable beekeeping product in a sterilized glass jar and seal it using a sealing machine.

Dried pollen can be stored for a long time if it is dried in a vacuum for about 1-1.5 hours at a temperature of 12 degrees. It is advisable that the place where pollen is stored is in the refrigerator.

A good way to preserve the taste of pollen. Since honey and powdered sugar adsorb moisture from pollen, they can be mixed in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. This is a fairly simple and reliable method that will allow you not only to preserve a valuable beekeeping product, but also improve its taste (beekeepers should know that pollen is bitter).

And remember that Pollen should not be stored in warm and humid climates, otherwise insects may appear in it. There should be no foreign odors in a clean and dry room where our important product is stored. And, of course, the presence of mice, insects, etc. is unacceptable.

The pollen with which we dried must be stored for no more than 1 year. But if you still mixed it with honey, then it will be suitable for some time (up to 5 years). However, gradually the pollen will still lose its healing properties. After 6 months after storage, it will lose 20-25% of its valuable properties, in a year about 40-50%, and after a couple of years it will completely lose all useful substances.

So, the main thing is to properly dry the pollen and then store it in a room with a specific temperature and humidity. And follow some more rules that we outlined a little higher. I wish you success in this difficult task, and benefit from this wonderful beekeeping product!

As you can imagine, collecting and subsequently storing pollen is a rather complicated and labor-intensive process. The “unpleasant” feature of this apiary product is that the valuable properties of pollen disappear quite quickly even with seemingly high-quality storage of pollen. This is especially true for the vitamins and amino acids it contains. Experts attribute this fact to the fact that even in collected bee pollen, various biochemical processes continue to occur, which lead to the loss of nutrients from it.

Therefore, beekeepers are constantly developing various ways to preserve the benefits of pollen. Today, the best preservation and longest shelf life of pollen is ensured by its conservation.

It all starts with proper pollen collection. Pollen pollen should be removed from the pollen trap daily before it gets dark. It is important not to leave the pollen overnight, as this will quickly dampen it. After collecting pollen, it is necessary to dry it: this process is carried out in a darkened room, with sufficient ventilation and a temperature of 20 to 40 0 ​​C. The collected flower pollen is scattered on sheets of paper in a layer preferably no more than one centimeter thick and dried for 3 days. It needs to be stirred periodically. The process can be accelerated by increasing the temperature to 40 0 ​​C, only in this case the humidity in the room should be no more than 10%. In such conditions, pollen drying occurs at an accelerated rate - the duration is reduced to several hours. Next, we determine the readiness of our pollen by the following signs:

1. The pollen on your fingers feels like dense lumps that are difficult to crush.
2. If you sprinkle dried pollen on a sheet of plywood, it should make a sound similar to metallic ringing when it falls.

There is also a way to dry bee pollen in a vacuum for 2 hours at a temperature of 120 0 C - this allows you to destroy the bee moth while maintaining the benefits of the product.

The next step is to remove impurities from the pollen. This is easy to do using a sieve with cells of about 2 mm. And only after this can we place our valuable product in a dry glass jar and seal it. Long-term storage of pollen is possible if it is placed in a dark, dry place with a temperature of 0 to 12 0 C.

But as with storing bee bread, the best way is to mix pollen with natural honey in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 - this will significantly increase the shelf life of pollen and enhance its beneficial properties. The method is simple and reliable, and in addition, storing pollen in this way improves its taste))