bee-keeperHoney is only one of the hive’s products. A well-managed colony also yields pollen, propolis, wax, in some places royal jelly, and even comb itself — products that can broaden a small beekeeper’s offer and make better use of the season. Here is an overview of the most important ones: what they are, and how they are collected and stored.
Flower pollen (bee bread)
Pollen is the bees’ protein food and is prized as a human food supplement. It is collected with a pollen trap at the entrance, which gently scrapes the pollen pellets off the legs of returning foragers. Pollen must be dried or frozen quickly, because it is moist and soon spoils and moulds. Important: do not take all the pollen — the colony needs it for brood, so run the trap only occasionally and during a strong flow.
Propolis
Propolis is a resinous substance bees collect from plant buds and use to seal cracks and disinfect the hive. It is valued for its antimicrobial properties. It is collected with a special mesh (a propolis screen) that the bees fill in; you then chill it and the propolis flakes off easily, or you scrape it from hive parts. Store it somewhere cool and dark.
Beeswax
Wax is secreted by young bees and used to build comb. The beekeeper gets it from old comb and from the wax cappings at harvest — by melting it down in a wax melter (steam, solar, or water). Clean wax is used to make foundation (beekeepers often exchange it with producers), candles, cosmetics, and creams. The rule is not to keep old comb for years — melting it into wax gives you a valuable raw material and renews the comb in the hive.
Royal jelly
Royal jelly is the exceptionally nutritious secretion the bees feed to the queen and young larvae. It is highly valued but demanding to produce — it requires queen-rearing technique, grafting larvae, and precise work, so it is mostly a job for more advanced beekeepers. It loses its properties quickly, so it is kept in the fridge or frozen, protected from light.
Bee venom and comb honey
Beyond these, the hive yields other products:
- Bee venom (apitoxin) — collected with a special device and used in apitherapy; working with it requires care and knowledge
- Comb honey — a whole piece of capped honeycomb, much sought after and easy to sell as a premium product
- Honey cappings — a tasty, natural product made from what you cut off at harvest anyway
Hygiene and storage are everything
Every hive product is either food or used on the skin, so cleanliness and proper storage are decisive. Work with clean, dry tools, quickly dry or chill anything perishable (pollen, royal jelly), and store everything protected from light, heat, and damp. Badly dried pollen or warm royal jelly loses its value in a few days.
Keep track of what comes from which hive
If you collect several products, it helps to know which colony gives what and in what quantity — which colony builds wax well, which gives the most pollen. In the bee-keeper app you record yields and observations against each hive, so you can easily see which colonies are your most productive, and for what.