Pollen Cells

Here is a cross-section of some very old, darkened wax cells containing a variety of pollens from around the apiary. This pollen is from one of the dadants we purchased from Buckfast Abbey where they were downsizing some of their apiaries. We decided to convert one of the dadants into a topbar hive and were left with a few of these older combs full of pollen... much we left for the bees to rob back, but some we kept and i spent a summer nibbling on little cells of delicious pollen.
Each colour is from a different plant, I'm not sure which flowers are here, and each type tastes totally different too. This pollen is not the same as the pollen grains you can buy. Pollen grains are knocked off the bees legs as they enter the hive, unbeknown to the hardworking pollen foragers.
This pollen in cells is stored pollen, and so has been alchemised into something known as 'bee bread'... using enzymes from the bees, and capped with a sealing of honey to keep it from going off. So i get the impression this cell-bound pollen must be even better for you.

 These beautiful photos were taken by my sister, Milly.

a golden mosaic of pollen and honey