Winning at Honey with Stephanie: Preparing Pollen for Competition

This month on Winning at Honey with Stephanie, Stephanie Slater turns her attention to a honey show category that doesn't appear at every competition: pollen. Preparing pollen for competition requires more than simply collecting it from a pollen trap. Stephanie walks through what judges look for, including cleanliness, proper moisture, aroma and flavor, consistent fill levels, and a colorful variety of pollen. She also shares lessons from her own first pollen entry—and the judge's comment card that showed her where she could improve.

You'll learn how Stephanie collects and freezes pollen, uses a fan to separate lighter debris, hand-cleans small batches with tweezers, and prepares jars for judging. She also explains why you should bring extra pollen to the show to correct settling and fill levels before submitting your entry.

Stephanie also discusses balancing pollen collection with the nutritional needs of the colony, including her practice of activating traps for only 24 hours before giving the bees several days of unrestricted pollen collection.

Finally, this month's Honey Show Spotlight looks at upcoming competitions in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and the 2026 Missouri State Beekeepers Association Fall Conference, where Stephanie will be helping with the honey show.

Whether you're preparing your first pollen entry or looking for another category to add to your show bench, it's time to start cleaning those pollen pellets!

Blue skies and blue ribbons!

Websites mentioned:

Missouri State Beekeepers Assn Fall Conference – https://www.mobees.org/events/beeconf2026/ American Honey Judges Assn - https://honeyshowusa.com/ ______________

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We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments in the show notes of this episode or: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com