Royal Jelly Collection Tools

Royal jelly harvesting tools make up a small kit: the grafting tool and cell cups used for grafting larvae, tweezers to remove the larvae, a spatula or vacuum collector to take the jelly, and dark glass containers and a cool box to protect the product. What matters is not how expensive the tools are but their material, their cleanliness and an unbroken cold chain. Working with the right tools directly affects both speed and product quality.

How is royal jelly produced? A quick reminder

Royal jelly is a whitish, thick secretion produced by glands in the heads of young worker bees, which feeds queen larvae. In commercial production, artificial queen cell cups into which young worker larvae have been transferred are given to a strong colony made queenless. The bees treat these cups like queen cells and surround the larvae with plenty of royal jelly.

The jelly is harvested about three days (72 hours) after grafting, when its quantity is at its highest. After that the larva grows by consuming the jelly, and the amount in the cup falls. This timetable also determines which tool you need ready and when.

Larva grafting tools

Grafting (larva transfer) means taking young worker larvae less than a day old from the comb and transferring them into cell cups. The tools for this stage are:

• Grafting tool: A grafting instrument with a very fine, flexible tongue. Spring-loaded and plunger types make it easier to lift the larva with a drop of food and place it at the bottom of the cup. Types with a fine metal tip and a wooden handle are also used.
• Cell cups: Artificial queen cell cups made of plastic or beeswax. For royal jelly production there are also strips that join many cups into a single bar.
• Cell bar and frame: Horizontal bars on which the cups are lined up, and the frame that holds them.
• Light and magnifier: Good lighting is essential to see young larvae; a head torch or a magnifying lamp speeds up the work.
• Damp cloth: Keeps the grafted larvae and the comb from drying out.

What tools are used to harvest royal jelly?

Removing the larva

Before the jelly is harvested, the larva in the cup is removed. If the larva is damaged, its body fluid mixes into the jelly, making the product cloudy and lowering its quality. The larva is gently lifted off the surface of the jelly with fine-tipped tweezers or a hook with a curved tip. Cups whose larva has not been removed or whose graft did not take are kept separate; no jelly is taken from a dry or darkened cup.

Taking the jelly

Manual harvesting means scraping the jelly from the bottom of the cup with a small spatula or spoon; it is enough for a small number of cups. Vacuum harvesting means a fine suction tip drawing the jelly straight into a bottle; with large numbers of cups it provides speed and hygiene. Whichever is used, wax and larval fragments must not get into the jelly.

Royal jelly is an acidic product; metal tools that can rust or whose coating has worn off are not used. Stainless steel, glass and food-grade plastic are safe.

How should royal jelly be stored? Containers and the cold chain

Royal jelly is very sensitive to heat, light and air. It must be kept cold from the moment it is harvested. Once the chain is broken, the product looks the same but loses value; this is a deterioration the buyer cannot notice.

• Dark glass container: Lightproof, odourless, can be cleaned and reused.
• Airtight lid: Reduces contact with oxygen and moisture.
• Small containers: A large container that is opened and closed often exposes the product to air and temperature changes every time.
• Cool box: Used with ice packs for transport from the apiary to the processing area.
• Refrigerator: Short-term storage at about 0–5 °C.
• Freezer: Long-term storage at −18 °C or below. Thawed product is not refrozen; that is why portion-sized containers are an advantage.

What should the royal jelly harvesting area be like?

• Cool and shaded: Direct sun and hot air spoil the jelly and dry out the larvae.
• Bee-proof: The cell bars are brushed free of bees and taken into a room or tent that bees cannot enter.
• Clean and dust-free: Food hygiene rules apply: clean surfaces, washed hands or disposable gloves, a hairnet and a clean apron.
• Fast workflow: The bars are processed without delay once taken from the hive; if the harvested bars are to be regrafted, this is done before they dry out.

Cleaning and maintaining the tools

All tools must be cleaned and dried completely after each use. Leftover jelly soon spoils, smells and contaminates the next batch.

1. Pre-rinse with cold water: Wash away jelly and wax residues.
2. Wash with warm water: If necessary, use a food-safe, odourless detergent.
3. Rinse thoroughly: Leave no detergent residue; residue both gets into the product and reduces the bees' acceptance of the cups.
4. Drying and storage: Store in a dust-free, closed box. The inside of vacuum hoses must also be dry.

Plastic cell cups can be used many times; the wax and jelly residues left on them are cleaned off. Very hot water can deform plastic and wax.

Records and traceability

At every harvest, record the date, colony, number of cups grafted and accepted, quantity harvested and storage conditions. These records let you compare the yield of your colonies and make a freshness claim defensible.