Royal Jelly Spoons

A royal jelly harvesting spoon is a hand tool with a small, slightly curved tip, used to scrape the royal jelly from the bottom of a cell cup once the larva has been removed and transfer it to the collection container. Simple as it looks, its material, tip shape and cleanliness directly affect the purity of the product and the speed of harvest. Spoons of food-grade plastic, stainless steel, glass or wood are used; on a large scale the spoon may be replaced by a vacuum collector.

What is a royal jelly harvesting spoon for?

Royal jelly is collected from the cups about 72 hours after grafting. At harvest, the wax extension added by the bees is cut off first, then the larva is lifted out with tweezers and the white, creamy jelly left at the bottom of the cup is taken. The amount of jelly in one cup is very small; under good conditions it is in the order of a few hundred milligrams per cup. The spoon's job is to collect this small amount completely, without mixing in wax or larval fragments, and quickly.

What material should a harvesting spoon be made of?

Royal jelly is an acidic product (pH about 3.5–4.5). That is why materials are used that do not react with the jelly, leave no odour and are easy to clean.

The general rule: metals that can rust, have flaking coatings or react readily, such as copper or aluminium, are not used. Stainless steel is suitable.

What shape should a good harvesting spoon have?

• Tip size: It must be small enough to reach the bottom of the cup easily. A large tip leaves jelly at the bottom; a tip that is too small needs several movements per cup.
• Curve: A slightly curved tip lets you scrape the rounded bottom of the cup in one movement.
• Edge: It should be rounded and smooth; a sharp edge scrapes the cup, especially a wax cup, and mixes wax into the jelly.
• Handle: A slim but non-slip handle keeps your hand from tiring over hundreds of cups.
• Double end: Some spoons have one end for collecting and the other for removing larvae. Although practical, keeping separate tools for the two jobs is safer for hygiene.

How do you harvest royal jelly with a spoon? Step by step

1. Prepare the room: Work in a clean, cool, shaded, bee-proof room. Hands should be washed or in disposable gloves, and hair under a cap.
2. Keep the container cold: The collection container (a small, dark glass jar) should stand on a cold surface or on an ice pack.
3. Trim the cup mouth: Cut off the wax extension added by the bees with a sharp knife; take care that no crumbs fall into the cup.
4. Remove the larva: Lift the larva out with fine-tipped tweezers without piercing it. The body fluid of a damaged larva mixes into the jelly.
5. Take the jelly: Lower the tip of the spoon down the wall of the cup to the bottom and scrape out the jelly in a single, turning movement.
6. Transfer to the container: Release the jelly by scraping the spoon against the inner rim of the container; do not dip the spoon into the jelly.
7. Cool immediately: Close a full container and put it in the cooler; do not wait until the job is finished.

Spoon or vacuum collector?

For a small number of cups, a spoon is both sufficient and easy to clean. For regular production with hundreds of cups, a vacuum collector is preferred: a fine suction tip draws the jelly straight into the collection bottle, less jelly is left in the cup and the work goes faster.

• Advantage of the spoon: Cheap, simple, easy to clean; the jelly is taken while you can see it in the cup.
• Advantage of vacuum: Speed and less loss; less hand contact with the product.
• Point to watch with vacuum: Jelly left in the tubing, tip and reservoir spoils and contaminates the next batch; dismantle, clean and dry them completely after every use.

Cleaning and storing the harvesting spoon

1. Pre-rinse in cold water: Rinse off jelly residue; hot water can bake proteins onto the surface.
2. Wash in lukewarm water: Use a food-safe, unscented cleaner if necessary.
3. Rinse thoroughly: Leave no detergent residue.
4. Dry completely: Wooden spoons in particular must be dried completely; if moisture remains they go mouldy.
5. Store covered: Keep in a clean, dust-free box together with the larva tweezers and knives as a harvest kit.

Common mistakes

• Taking the jelly without removing the larva: Larval fragments get into the product.
• A sharp-edged spoon: Scrapes the wax cup and mixes wax crumbs into the jelly.
• A metal spoon that can rust: The acidic jelly reacts with the metal, spoiling taste and colour.
• Working slowly: Jelly left at room temperature for a long time loses quality.
• Not drying the spoon properly: A damp spoon contaminates the product at the next harvest.