Storing bee bread at home. Possible problems

One of the varieties of beekeeping products is bee pollen. Storage and shelf life of this substance require compliance with certain standards. What are the features of using this natural remedy?

What is bee perga

One of the types of beekeeping products is bee pollen. It enjoys the same popularity as other types of bee products.

What is the feature of this product? Let's try to figure it out together.

- This is one of the varieties of beekeeping crops. Probably, it is inferior in popularity to such a product as honey, but nevertheless it also enjoys a certain demand in the market.

In fact, perga is nothing more than bee pollen. She is kept in hives. But why isn't it honey yet?

The fact is that pollen was collected by honey insects from flowering plants and transferred to the hive. Then it was hidden in honeycombs, sealed and tamped down. However, such a medicinal product has not yet managed to turn into full-fledged honey: this may take a certain period of time.

However, do not think that this product is not intended for further use for culinary and medicinal purposes. After all, many people even use flower pollen in its pure form for such purposes.

Storage rules

How to store this type of bee products? Of course, certain standards must be observed, and then your product will not deteriorate for the longest time.

The bee products we consider are of three main types:

• in honeycombs;
• in ground form;
• in granular form.

As we can see, the main difference in this classification lies in the form of storage of this beekeeping product. Despite the fact that, in essence, this is all the same substance, the storage standards for each of the types we have indicated can differ significantly from each other.

What are they? First of all, let's consider the conditions for keeping such a variety of bee products in the most natural conditions for it, that is, directly in the combs.

Despite the fact that it would seem that such a medicine is in its natural environment, there are certain requirements that must be strictly observed so that your crop does not deteriorate prematurely. And here you need to be extra careful.

The fact is that a natural product, as a rule, is not subject to any additional processing. And this means that it is the most perishable of the varieties presented. And this factor should be taken into account both in the content of such a substance, and in its subsequent use by a person.

It is important to exercise delicacy and caution when maintaining a natural medicinal product in its natural state. It is important to comply with certain temperature requirements, as well as comply with the recommended humidity conditions.

To keep your products in their original form for as long as possible, try to place them in a room where certain conditions are met.

Humidity there should be no higher than 75 percent, and the temperature should not exceed five degrees Celsius.

What is the difference between this variety of the bee products we are considering, in addition to its naturalness and the very minimum shelf life? First of all, this substance has a characteristic taste, by which it can be distinguished from analogues.

The naturalness of this type of product allows it to be used not only by humans, but also by the winged beekeepers themselves. It can be used as spring food. Young bees especially love this delicacy.

Remember that this type of bee bread has the most minimum storage time. In case of any violation of the rules for its maintenance, it becomes covered with mold and is no longer suitable for further use.

It's better to use some little tricks than to lose your harvest. Therefore, you can additionally fill such honeycombs with another popular beekeeping product - honey. The fact is that not all honeycombs are well sealed by the bees themselves, fresh air can get inside, stimulating processes that negatively affect the state of the product. And honey contributes to the creation of an additional protective film on such a delicacy for winged apiary workers.

Protect your crop from the effects of wax moth. In order to defeat this unpleasant insect, you can use 75% acetic acid. Just leave some of this remedy next to your crop.

In this case, the specified substance can not even be removed from the container where it is contained, but simply leave a small gap between the lid and the main container. Thus, you will not spoil the top dressing for your wards.

You can use such a tool and a person. To do this, you do not need to extract bee bread from the honeycombs. These natural containers are simply chewed as thoroughly as possible, swallowing the beneficial substance and spitting out the inedible wax.

However, when choosing honeycombs for use in food, it is necessary to monitor their quality. They should not be old and blackened, otherwise they will be unpleasant to eat. And also check them before eating for the absence of larvae, so as not to accidentally eat them.

Expiration dates

Any food product has a well-defined expiration date. This statement also applies to bee pollen.

How long can the bee products we are considering be stored? It is believed that the optimal shelf life of such a substance is one year.

However, it is important to note here that in this process it is necessary to strictly observe all recommended norms and rules. First of all, products such as bee bread should not be exposed to high humidity and temperature, being away from water sources, as well as exposure to sunlight.

Otherwise, you can deprive such a healing agent of its useful qualities given to it by nature. The opposite effect, manifested in exposure to bee bread, cold, is also prohibited.

Low temperatures can also have a negative impact on the variety of bee products we are considering. Thus, we can conclude that bee perga cannot be frozen.

When exposed to high humidity, such a product can quickly become moldy. Therefore, such a substance can only be stored exclusively in dry places.

The use of bee bread

What do people use bee pollen for? The scope of this type of beekeeping products is quite extensive.

It can be used as a dietary supplement, and if you do not have an individual intolerance to its components, then you can not be afraid to eat such a substance. You should not experience any side effects.

In addition, such a substance can be given to the bees themselves so that they store additional energy. This is especially true for weak bee colonies.

However, such a substance is more suitable for bees if it has not been extracted from the honeycombs. The fact is that honey insects love exclusively natural products.

And now consider the storage conditions of such a substance in an already processed form. Although the requirements here are more lenient, they should also be observed for your own safety.

If you purchased such a drug in granules, this means that it has already been removed from the honeycombs, and then further cleaned of impurities. First of all, during such processing, components such as merv and wax from honeycombs are removed.

The finished granules will have properties such as high density and relative dryness. They can be stored in ordinary glass jars, like ordinary seasoning.

In this case, it is not necessary to put the product in the refrigerator. Suitable for its maintenance and ordinary room temperature. Instead of glass jars, small canvas bags can be used.

Granules, on the contrary, it is better not to freeze. In such conditions, they may begin to become moldy. It is better to leave bags and jars with a small hole so that air can penetrate there: this will prevent the appearance of a musty smell and an unpleasant taste in such a medicine.

If you purchased a similar product in ground form, then you should know that the natural substance in this case has also undergone some processing. Honeycombs with such a substance were carefully crushed.

Such a remedy can be additionally mixed with honey to mutually enhance the healing effect of these products. As for the content, dark-colored glass containers can be used for such a drug. The optimum temperature is from 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. It is better to use a dark place for this, as well as dry conditions.

Bee pollen finds its application in the national economy. This is due to the healing properties of this substance.

However, when using it, it is necessary to strictly observe the conditions and standards of storage. Only then can you achieve the desired effect.

Perga, which is nothing more than processed pollen, with regular use, helps the body recover in almost any situation.

But this product is rather whimsical in terms of storage conditions, so in order not to lose its biological activity, you need to follow all the rules and know how to store bee bread in honeycombs, granules or in the form of a honey mixture.

Storage conditions

How to properly store perga depends on its type. So, combs containing this product are recommended to be kept in a dry room, in which:

• there are no foreign odors;
• a low level of humidity is maintained;
• the air temperature does not exceed 5 °C.

Important: in the absence of a room suitable for humidity, honeycombs can be hung from racks or other devices and covered with powdered sugar. This simple product perfectly solves the problem of humidity control.

Among all the storage conditions for bee bread, perhaps, maximum attention is paid to temperature, since lowering it by at least 1 ° C leads to the destruction of vitamins and the loss of many useful properties of the product, freezing is especially dangerous for the so-called bread, although some beekeepers may argue with this. On the contrary, high temperatures (more than 8 ° C) can cause the activation of moth larvae, which are very fond of feasting on wax and bee products. The optimum temperature for keeping bee bread is 2–10 °C.

Tip: It is generally not a good idea to store bee bread in the refrigerator or basement, as this can lead to mold. But if the refrigerator is able to constantly maintain the temperature at the proper level, then the content of bee bread in it is still allowed.

Crushed perga is most often stored as a mixture with honey, the amount of which is usually about 30%. In this form, bee bread retains its beneficial properties much longer, since honey is an excellent preservative. The mix of these two bee products is considered extremely healing. We talked about its benefits, preparation and application in the article:

Keeping ground bee bread in its pure form at home is carried out by corking it in a clean container made of dark glass. It is placed in a dry, cool (2-4 ° C) place, out of direct sunlight.

Storage of bee bread in the form of granules, which is a product that is maximally free of wax, larvae residues and other impurities, is carried out in dark, glassware with ajar lids or in linen bags. Moreover, such high-quality bee bread does not require the creation of a certain temperature regime, so it can be kept under normal room conditions.

Attention! When storing bee bread at home, you need to carefully monitor that the container used is dry from the inside.

How to extract bee bread from honeycombs

Beekeepers use special equipment to extract bee bread. The process of obtaining bee bread is a whole technological scheme, including the stages of drying combs and freezing. But since freezing the product is highly undesirable, you can get it without it, but such a process requires a lot of time and labor.

To get bee bread without freezing, the frame is put back into the hive after pumping out the honey. Here it is drained by bees for a couple of days, after which the bread is ready for extraction. It is manually pushed out of each cell with a special hairpin. Of course, the process of removing bee bread from honeycombs by hand is more time-consuming, but this way the product retains maximum value.

Shelf life

How long perga is stored directly depends on the conditions in which it is kept and its condition. The maximum danger for this beekeeping product is humidity, therefore, at high rates, such bee bread becomes completely unusable in just a few days.

The minimum shelf life has bee bread in honeycombs. It is she who more often than other species suffers from mold and wax moth. To protect the product from pests, it is recommended to place ajar containers with concentrated acetic acid (about 75%) indoors.

You can increase the shelf life of bee pollen by diluting it with honey. In this case, it will retain its properties throughout the year. It makes no sense to store bee bread in any form for more than a year, as it loses its biological activity and becomes useless.

All materials on the site are presented for informational purposes only. Before using any means, consultation with a doctor is MANDATORY!

Apitherapy is an amazing science that tells how bees and the products they produce help to keep the human body young and healthy, and reveals to mankind the secrets and rules for using bee products in their lives.

However, it should be remembered that maintaining the benefits of medicines donated by bees is sometimes even more difficult than obtaining them, so information about how to store bee pollen - one of the most useful apitherapeutic agents, it is very important.

Perga - what is it?

Beekeepers called perga enzymatically processed bee pollen, the healing composition and amazing properties of which are still being studied by scientists around the world. The process of its formation takes place in the honeycomb, where the bees bring and store pollen collected from trees and flowers and moistened with the secret of their maxillary glands.

You can buy bee perga at our apiary by ordering it by phone
+38-096-83-44-687
+38-099-05-85-135

After tamping the honeycomb cells, the bees cover the pollen with a thin layer of honey and wax, thereby “preserving” it, that is, completely cutting off oxygen, as a result of which it begins to ferment and turn into perga (“bee bread”). The fermentation process is approximately fourteen days, after which the honeycomb can be taken out and used as a medicine.

Features of receiving and storing the product

Before talking about how bee bread is stored at home, you need to talk about the fact that beekeepers can sell it in three forms - in combs (that is, in the form in which it is produced by bees), in the form of paste or granules. "Bee bread" in honeycombs is the easiest (for a beekeeper) way to obtain this product, because all that is required of him is just to get a frame with honeycombs from the evidence, and that's it, the product is ready. It is much more difficult to get pergo paste or granules, because for this you first need to freeze the honeycombs, remove the wax cap from them, and only then grind them in a meat grinder with the addition of honey(this is how bee bread paste is obtained) or extract the actual bee bread from each honeycomb cell using a special spatula.

Cell storage

As already mentioned, honeycomb “bee bread” can be considered the most natural (“natural”) of this product, although it must be said that the shelf life of bee bread in this form is very short, because mold appears very quickly in it or wax moth larvae start up , which, by the way, are also useful in their own way, but they still spoil the product. Such a substance must be placed in a dry, warm, but not hot room, the humidity of which should be minimal.

It is necessary to carefully monitor the absence of any odors, because “bee bread” absorbs them very well (that is, it is not recommended to place it, for example, in the attic next to dried fish). To reduce the risk of wax moths, you can put several small containers of concentrated vinegar solution in the room.

Bee-bread honeycombs must be chewed, which is not very popular with customers, because they have a specific smell and taste. In addition, bees, as a rule, choose old frames for preserving bee pollen, where there may be remaining dead bee larvae, naturally, their taste is not the best. But there are the most healing microelements in this type of “bee bread”, so everyone can choose the product on their own.

Storage of pearl paste

Perg paste is ground in a meat grinder and mixed with honey "bee bread". Honey significantly lengthens the shelf life of bee pollen, so it can be stored for at least one year. However, it is worth considering the fact that immediately, that immediately after receiving it, it must be placed in a glass dish, covered with a lid and sent to the refrigerator, because at a warm temperature it can also become moldy.

As for the disadvantages of this type of product, they include the fact that it is almost impossible to determine the concentration of the main ingredient in the medicine (honey is mixed in ground honeycombs in an approximate ratio, so only the person who was engaged in production can more or less accurately determine the concentration), unappetizing presentation (as a rule, such a paste looks like a yellow-orange mixture with small inclusions of black or brown).

Storage of bee bread in granules

Data on how to properly store bee bread in granules is very important, because granules are the most “delicate” type of this product, which, if special conditions are not observed, deteriorates very quickly and loses its properties. Granular "bee bread" is obtained by manually extracting it from honeycombs. To do this, beekeepers use special tools, and the whole process is a kind of technological scheme consisting of several stages. Honeycombs with canned bee pollen are frozen in a freezer, peeled of a wax-honey cap (after freezing, it is easily peeled off), and then dried a little.

After that, the beekeeper takes a special spoon or spatula and uses it to extract the contents of each cell. After removing the granules (they look like hexagonal cylinders), they are placed in special clothes bags or clean glass containers with lids (not sealed), and then sent to a dry room where it is possible to regulate the temperature (it should be no more than 15 degrees ). The granules should not be packed too tightly (any container is three-quarters packed), as lack of air can cause mold to form.

In addition, the granules can be mixed with honey, however, before doing this, you need to read about how to store honey with bee bread. Honey, of course, will act as a preservative, and it will be possible to store such a product for a long time (about three years), but only under certain conditions, for example, if the container with its contents is in a cool place (if the storage place is a refrigerator, it should be closed tightly with a lid). The ratio of honey and bee bread in such a dosage form usually varies from 4:1 to 10:1.

Under what conditions should bee bread be stored?

The beekeeper who sells it usually tells where to store bee bread, but if we talk about the general rules of this process, then in order to maximize the preservation of all the healing properties of this product, it must be placed in clean, dry rooms, after placing it in a clean, preferably glass, dishes. The sun's rays adversely affect the composition of canned pollen grains, so the room should be dark. In addition, you need to carefully monitor the humidity (according to the reference books, the humidity should not be more than 15%).

The dishes should close well, but since they will store enough nutrient, they will need to be inspected as often as possible for the presence of all kinds of pests (the likelihood that they will be there is minimal, but it still exists). The most unpretentious in terms of storage is honey with bee bread, which is stored in a conventional refrigerator., but it must also be monitored, since the air in the refrigerator is quite humid, which means it can cause the formation of fungi.

How long can the product be stored?

Naturally, information about how much perga is stored depends on the form in which it is sold. The product in the combs has the shortest shelf life, which becomes of poor quality after a few months (after a specified period of time, mold and wax moth start up in it, and the benefits are practically lost), as mentioned above, vinegar prevents the appearance of wax moths, but take a product whose expiration date has expired is not recommended (it may not do any harm, but its healing properties will not appear).

You can order bee perga in Ukraine at our apiary by ordering it by phone
+38-096-83-44-687
+38-099-05-85-135

Perg paste retains its properties for one year, as, in fact, granulated "bee bread", but for this you need to comply with all the above conditions. Well, honey mixed with this amazing product lasts the longest, but this does not mean that it is suitable for everyone. For example, "bee bread" is allowed to be taken by allergy sufferers and people with diabetes, but this is only on condition that it is taken in its pure form (honey mixture for allergies or diabetes is strictly contraindicated).

As a conclusion, it is worth recalling that the shelf life of bee bread is closely related to its quality. Compliance with all the necessary requirements for the storage of this substance allows each person to treat his body with a truly high-quality, natural medicine for as long as possible.

Recently, such a bee product as perga has become widespread. The other name "bee bread" was given to perga due to the fact that bees can eat it all year round.

It turns out bee pollen from flower pollen, which remained unused for brood. The bees first lay it tightly in the food combs, gluing it with their fermented saliva, and then, to ensure the safety of the product, cover it with honey and seal it with wax. The sealed pollen becomes bee pollen during the fermentation process.

Bee bread has found its application in medicine, food and cosmetic industries. Perga is rich in vitamins, amino acids and microelements, which makes it a very valuable product for humans. In its natural form, it is used as a general tonic and to combat many ailments.

Collecting bee bread on time and correctly is only half the battle. It is also necessary to preserve bee bread for a long time, without losing all the useful substances and unique healing properties.

The video from the Azaria PergaPlus channel will tell about the beneficial properties of bee bread and the rules for taking it

There are several periods in which it is possible to remove honeycombs from a bee hive without harming the family:

• Spring. During this period, the bees are already beginning to actively extract pollen, so the old frames can be taken away.
• In summer, honeycombs are removed, in which the cells are completely sealed with wax.
• In autumn before wintering.

Before further harvesting, bee-bread honeycombs should not show signs of mold, foreign odors and pollution.

Storage methods

Experienced beekeepers store bee bread at home in three ways:

in honeycombs

Storage in honeycombs is the most responsible business, since the product should be protected from oxygen access, and the temperature should be maintained within +1..+5 Сº. Pieces of bee bread with honeycombs are placed in small glass jars and tightly closed with lids.

in the form of a paste

In order to prepare bee bread paste, it is crushed in a meat grinder and mixed with a small amount of liquid honey. Store the workpiece in jars in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

in granular form

The granular product is obtained by extracting bee bread from honeycombs. Pieces of pure bread, freed from wax and other impurities, can be stored much longer.

The perga is dried before storage. This can be done both naturally and using heating devices.

The natural method involves drying the bread in a dry room at a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 Cº. This process is quite lengthy and takes several months.

If the granules are dried in an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits, then the heating temperature should not exceed 40 degrees.

The readiness of the product is determined by squeezing the granule. If it is crumpled like tight plasticine, then it is too early to finish drying; if it crumbles into pieces, it is overdried. Properly dried bee bread leaves a crack after compression.

Details on how to dry bee bread in an electric dryer will tell the video from the channel "Belarusian Beekeeping"

Perga shelf life

Perga retains its beneficial properties for 1 year. The main thing, when storing bee bread at home, is to observe the temperature regime, the desired level of humidity and limit access to oxygen and odors to the product.

27.08.2017 3

Every beekeeper and lover of products made by these hardworking insects should know how to store bee pollen at home.

Honey is far from the only product that bees produce. Today, almost all the resources that remain as a result of the production of a sweet product by industrious insects are considered priceless due to the abundance of useful elements, minerals and vitamins.

The beneficial properties of bee bread have been known since ancient times, because this product is often used in various traditional medicine recipes, and today it is extremely popular in cosmetology.

Bee pollen must be stored under special conditions - this is the only way to preserve all the valuable qualities of the substance and use them if necessary. In order to use the product for its intended purpose, you need to know how to store bee bread at home, what features this process has and how not to make a mistake.

Features and benefits

The so-called "bee bread" is a product that insects can eat at any time of the year, while performing their natural functions, regardless of the season and temperature conditions. This substance is the result of the life of bees, and it consists of pollen not spent on brood, which insects ram into honeycombs.

Honeycombs with bee bread are sealed with honey, as a result of which the fermentation process starts, lactic acid is produced, and more recently, fresh pollen becomes real bee bread, a product that is widely used not only in the bee family, but also in humans.

A person who is interested in how bee bread is stored at home should know what a positive effect this substance has and why it is so valuable for a person. The composition of bee bread contains a large amount of amino acids, minerals and vitamins, due to which the correct storage of bee bread can have the following effects:

• In the human body, cholesterol levels are significantly reduced, while plaques are not formed, which reduces the likelihood of dangerous diseases.
• The liver and pancreas, under the influence of the product of bee production, begin to work in a normal mode and fully perform their functions.
• Blood formation improves significantly, which is why people are so often interested in how to take a substance during the development of anemia or anemia.
• If the shelf life of bee bread is strictly observed, then its use will strengthen the immune system, so that the body will be able to independently cope with a large number of unpleasant diseases and will quickly recover from illnesses.

Storage

Today, the question of how to properly store bee bread is especially relevant, since this useful product is extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and if the storage rules and conditions are not followed, the substance easily loses its useful qualities, after which it is not recommended to take bee bread for medicinal purposes.

It is also important to know how to store bee bread because even in its original form, in which it is contained in bee hives, bee bread cannot retain its beneficial qualities for a long time and loses them in the absence of proper conditions. It is also important where to store bee bread - a lot of conditions depend on the place of storage, so this is also worth paying attention to.

Beekeepers who wondered how to store bee bread at home found that this process is extremely difficult and requires close attention, while today there are three methods at once that anyone can use:

1. It is possible to store bee bread in granules, while the beneficial properties remain for quite a long time if the conditions are met.
2. The substance is stored in the combs longer, while it is important to observe the temperature regime and try not to store the substance for a long time.
3. Granular bee bread is often processed into powder, mixed with natural honey and stored in this form - this method is considered optimal, since the storage period is noticeably increased.

Many people are interested in the fair question of how much perga is stored in granules. The fact is that oxygen has an extremely negative effect on the substance, and as a result of its influence, mold or even harmful bacteria may appear, which not only will not be beneficial in the treatment, but will also have a negative effect on the human body.

Note! Bee-bread in honeycombs is stored only under strict conditions. To store it, you will need a dark place, the temperature in which is from one to five degrees, while the humidity in this place should not exceed thirty percent. Therefore, modern beekeepers prefer other, more gentle storage methods, in which it is possible to preserve the product without adhering to such strict limits.

Temperature

Maintaining the temperature regime is necessary when storing bee bread in this form, therefore many beekeepers try to store the substance in the refrigerator, carefully monitoring the regime. At the same time, you should not place a large number of cells in one container, it is better to divide them into several small containers.

Beekeepers consider ground bee bread to be the best option for storing bee bread. To do this, the honeycombs are ground together with the contents, after which they are mixed with natural honey. The latter product is rightfully considered a real natural preservative that will help preserve the beneficial qualities of any substance and use it if necessary.

The paste obtained as a result of such processing is stored in a place where direct sunlight does not penetrate, which can harm the substance. It is recommended to use dishes made of dark glass, while the shelf life, even in such a canned form, should not exceed one year - this period is enough for all the beneficial properties of bee bread to disappear.

Video: harvesting bee bread from old frames.

Perga in granules

Granulated bee bread is the most convenient option for storing the product, since it is this method that allows you to preserve the useful qualities of the product and does not require serious compliance with difficult conditions. At the same time, it is possible to store the product at home at normal room temperature. For this, a glass container or a dry bag is used.

Note! Even in this form, the product requires compliance with the humidity regime. In this case, it is necessary to keep the substance open and ensure air circulation. Such manipulations will allow you to save an invaluable product for a long time and use its qualities if necessary.

In no case should bee bread in granules be stored in the refrigerator, since high humidity and exposure to low temperatures can deprive the product of all useful elements, which are considered invaluable for the human body. Even under all conditions, you should not store bee bread for more than one year, since during this time the quality of the product decreases markedly.

If there is a large amount of a bee product, it is recommended to use it fresh in a short time, and then all the useful elements will enter the human body, providing an exceptionally beneficial effect on it.