Winning at Honey with Stephanie: Preparing Pollen for Competition

Preparing Pollen for Competition

Stephanie Slater

3, 2, 1. Hello everyone, and welcome to Winning at Honey with Stephanie. This Beekeeping Today podcast short is all about bite-sized conversations where we explore honey shows, judging tips and the art of exhibiting award-winning hive products.

I'm your host, Stephanie Slater, and I'm excited to be back with you. August has been unusually quiet for me. I had to take a break from beekeeping for several weeks while recovering from an injury.

Now that I'm feeling better, I have plenty of apiary chores to catch up on, but it sure feels good to get back in the bees. We've done a lot of extracting recently. I like to pull my honey in early August so I can get a head start on mite treatments and winter feeding.

This week, temperatures in Wisconsin cooled enough to create an ideal window for certain mite treatments, so I took advantage of it. While my beekeeping was on hold, I hosted a few corporate events featuring honey samples and an observation hive. Don't tell my neighbors, but I've had a nuc with bees flying from my patio for the past two weeks. That made it much easier to set up and take down the observation hive for several educational appearances.

The honey bees have been so well behaved that even my grumpiest neighbor had no idea they were there. I also judged a few county fair honey shows. I have so much fun judging at fairs, especially when I can educate and encourage competitors along the way.

I leave a comment card with every entry so exhibitors know what they did well and how they can improve for next year. At the Dodge County Fair, I tried the Dodge Jefferson Beekeepers Association's Honey Lavender Ice Cream, and I think I have a new favorite. Now I need to find out how I can get more.

I also had a great time in the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association booth at the Wisconsin State Fair. I spent most of my time near the observation hive. I didn't have to lift anything, but my voice certainly got a workout.

While trying to speed up this year's honey extraction, I didn't take the time to grade all of my frames by color. However, when I came across a couple of boxes of extremely light honey, I made sure to extract them into a separate bucket for a future honey show. White honey can be difficult to perfect for competition, but it can be mesmerizing when done well.

A high-lumen flashlight or polariscope is essential when preparing light honey for show. If your bees produce several shades of honey, consider separating the frames by color. This could help you create more consistent honey show entries and offer your customers different color and flavor options.

I also picked up a new bee yard this year and based on the botanical sources in the area, I'm hoping it will produce some darker honey for competition. As I record this episode, I'm preparing for the Walworth County Fair in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. We have a well-attended honey show for a county fair, and I consider it the official kickoff to my honey show season. I won't have as many entries this year, but I'll be sure to bring extracted honey and my dipped taper candles.

I also branch out at my county fair by entering horticulture and culinary exhibits. I've been tending to a beautiful pollinator porch pot all summer, but I'm behind on my food preservation projects, so wish me luck! Last year at the Walworth County Fair, I spoke with someone who doesn't compete. She asked me how many blue ribbons I needed to win.

All of them, I replied. All of them. I know all of you competitors out there know exactly what I mean.

This month, I'd like to talk about preparing pollen for show. In some parts of the country, including mine, this may be your last opportunity to collect pollen until next spring. In my experience, pollen isn't offered at many honey shows.

However, you will find it at the Midwest Honey Bee Expo in January, and it has appeared in previous North American Honey and Beeswax Championships. We'll find out soon whether it will be included again this January. My friend Brian recently asked me some questions about exhibiting pollen, so I thought I'd share what we discussed.

I'll admit that I've only entered pollen once, and I did it in 2025. However, I learned a lot from Steve, a senior honey judge with the American Honey Judges Association, and I know I'll do better next time. First, let's look at the rules.

Pollen is evaluated in much the same way as the extracted honey and beeswax entries we've discussed in previous episodes. Focus on cleanliness, fill lines, and proper handling and storage. Pollen must be dried and processed using either heat or cold methods.

Judges begin by examining the jars and lids inside and out. They look for cleanliness, the correct fill level, and consistency among all the jars in the exhibit The pollen itself should be clean, properly dried, and free from dust, foreign material, mold, and clumping. Judges also evaluate its aroma and flavor, watching for anything unusual that might indicate improper processing or storage.

My friend Chris in Michigan says, taste it. If you don't like it, the judge probably won't either. For AHJA honey shows, three jars are required, but you may use either one pound or half-pound jars. I chose half-pound jars when I exhibited.

Achieving the proper moisture level may be the most challenging part of preparing pollen for competition. Judges don't want pollen that is overly dry, so be careful when using a dehydrator. On the other hand, pollen that retains too much moisture can mold.

My comment card said that my pollen was slightly moist when smeared, but it wasn't molding. That tells me I was probably getting close to the desired level of dryness. Chris put it this way, it should stay intact and spongy, not crumble to dust.

I also reviewed a couple other judges' comment cards. Thanks to my friend Carrie for sharing hers. One thing I learned is that judges like to see a good variety of colors. Bees naturally collect pollen in many colors, and your exhibit should reflect that diversity.

Some competitors have told me they thought pollen should be sorted by color. Honestly, I'm glad that isn't the case. I'm not sure I would have the patience for it.

I'll admit that I started questioning my life choices when cleaning pollen for show. It was incredibly tedious and time-consuming, but I was relieved that the judge didn't find anything in my entry that didn't belong there. So how did I clean it?

My method may not be the best or only way, but it worked with the supplies I had around the house. I used a fan to help separate lighter debris, then poured small quantities of pollen onto a white paper plate. In a well-lit area, I used tweezers to remove anything that didn't belong and gently separated any small clumps that had formed.

The jars should be filled to the same level required for extracted honey. Pro tip alert! Pollen will settle during transport, so bring some extra with you. That way you can top off your jars and correct the fill level before turning in your entry.

And don't forget to wipe all those fingerprints off the glass. You may want to also bring fresh lids to swap out at the honey show. My comment card noted a smudge on the underside of one of my lids.

I'll be more careful next time. When collecting pollen, check your traps daily and store the pollen in the freezer until you're ready to clean and process it. Wisconsin summers are very humid, and fresh pollen can begin to mold quickly.

Frequent collection also prevents other insects from finding their way into the traps and saves you from having even more debris to remove later. I usually activate my pollen traps for 24 hours, then deactivate them for several days so the bees can collect what the colony needs.

I repeat this process periodically over a few months until I have enough for my entry. Collecting at different times of the season also gives me a wider variety of pollen colors while allowing me to focus on periods when the bees are bringing in more pollen than the colony requires.

Preparing pollen for competition takes patience. But it's also a great way to expand beyond the more familiar honey and beeswax categories. If you're ready to put these tips into practice or simply want to see what other exhibitors are bringing to the competitions, there are some exciting honey shows coming up.

And it's time for this month's Honey Show Spotlight. First is the Georgia State Honey and Artisan Show, September 10th through 12th. I've attended this one and it is amazing.

Next is the Alabama State Honey Show, September 18 and 19. Kelly, the chairperson, showed me their commemorative Black Jar Award and I would be so excited to win one of those. Finally, the High Country Honey Festival in North Carolina takes place October 2nd and 3rd. Be sure to check out the rules for these shows.

All three offer impressive cash prizes and a wonderful variety of entry categories. If you live nearby or if you're looking for a honey show road trip, you'll want to check them out. I also want to put a special spotlight on the 2026 Missouri State Beekeepers Association Fall Conference Honey Show.

The show will be held October 16 and 17 in Springfield, Missouri. And I'm especially excited because I'll be there helping staff it. The competition offers something for nearly every beekeeper.

Categories include light amber and dark extracted honey, cut comb, creamed honey, black jar, beeswax blocks and candles, photography, artwork, needlecraft, and gift baskets, plus honey breads, cookies, and cakes. There's also a novice extracted honey category specifically for exhibitors who have never placed in an extracted class, making this a wonderful opportunity to enter your first honey show. The show is open to current MSBA members who are registered for the fall conference, and entries must be submitted in person.

You may bring your entries Friday, October 16th from 4 to 7 p.m. or Saturday morning, October 17th from 7 to 8 a.m. Be sure to read the complete rules carefully because each category has specific requirements for quantities, containers, presentation, and labeling. If you've been thinking about entering a honey show, I hope you'll give this one a try. You don't need years of competition experience or a full shelf of ribbons to participate.

Choose a category that interests you, begin preparing now, and use the experience as an opportunity to improve your skills. Even if you aren't entering, stop by and see the exhibits, gather ideas, and say hello. I would love to see you there.

You can find information about these and many other honey shows at honeyshowusa.com. Beginning next month, I'll spotlight each of the three major January honey shows. If you have questions about any of them, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're entering your first jar of honey or chasing another championship ribbon, I hope you'll put your honey on the show bench this season. Every honey show helps us become better beekeepers, and I'd love to hear how you do. If your state or region has a honey show you'd like me to feature, please send me the information, and as always, send me your honey show questions. Until next month, blue skies and blue ribbons, I'll catch you next time.