Be a Pollen Collector
By Eric Hammer
There are two kinds of people who can rightfully be called
a pollen collector. The first kind of pollen collector will collect
pollen from bees. This material is considered extremely healthy,
offering a large number of nutrients. The stuff is often mixed
into ordinary food in order to gain the benefits from the stuff.
However, there is also another kind of pollen collector. You
can collect pollen from plants and trees which is then processed
by pharmaceutical companies to create allergy medicine. Mostly
this is done by professionals who are directly employed by the
company; however it is also possible to be a pollen collector
on your own land if you happen to have a significant area to
harvest from.
Both of these kinds of pollen collectors tend to work during
a limited harvesting season so this is rarely year long work
unless you are running a green house.
How Much Can You Make?
Bee pollen typically sells for anywhere from $4-$8 per pound
and flower pollen which you sell to pharmaceutical companies
can fetch as little as $5 or as much as $40 per pound depending
on the kind of pollen you collect.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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Given that this is a limited job, many people who become pollen
collectors also choose to work in other fields of botany, including
raising plants and flowers and running nurseries. Those who collect
bee pollen also collect the honey that the bees create.
Keep in mind that to collect flower pollen, you'll have to
be able to identify various species of plant by site when you
see them growing and you will want to keep the pollen completely
separate so that you don't contaminate one kind of pollen with
another kind.
As far selling the stuff is concerned, it's best to contact
your state forestry service to find out more details about the
legal rules surrounding collection and selling of pollen. They
can also usually give you a better idea of where to collect the
pollen (it may be legal in some state parks, though picking flowers
in federal parks is illegal) and they may even be able to tell
you where to sell the material you collect.
Bee pollen by contrast is usually sold in bags at health food
stores.
Qualifications / Requirements
There are no formal requirements to be a pollen collector.
However, you will need to know a great deal about botany and
how to identify different kinds of plants by sight. It would
help to earn a college degree in botany as well.
First Steps
Start by reading more about pollen and why it is collected.
Some material is listed below though you can also ask in your
local library about other books on pollen. Then, contact your
state forestry service to find out more about where and how pollen
is collected in your state.
Those interested in collecting bee pollen should read more
about keeping bees and consider opening a bee farm.
Resources
Check out these helpful resources to find out more about becoming
a pollen collector:
Green Horizons --- Hidden Money in Your Forest
- This is a good introduction to collecting pollen for the purpose
of selling the stuff to pharmaceutical companies. Just remember
that the market can be somewhat limited.
eHow: How Do I Collect Pollen - A very good
introduction to how to be a pollen collector from a practical
standpoint.
Bee Pollen Buzz: Bee Pollen Facts - A good introduction
to bee pollen.
eHow: How to Collect Bee Pollen - The process
is quite different from collecting ordinary pollen.
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