The manufacture of royal jelly is a very technical activity, which requires real know-how and rigor on the part of the beekeeper.
In its natural state, royal jelly is found in queen cells, containing the larvae of future queens. However, it is only produced in small quantities. The beekeeper must therefore induce a significant breeding of queens, to produce royal jelly. Here are the different steps of the process.
1. Grafting
The beekeeper will look in hives specially dedicated to the rearing of larvae, frames where the queen has laid eggs. When a cell hatches, the larvae are the same. It is the food (royal jelly) which will be given to them which will determine if this one will be queen or not. The beekeeper then performs the very meticulous step, which is called grafting: he takes the young larvae hatched on this frame to put them in artificial cells, placed on wooden bars.
2. Insertion of the slats into the hive
The new frames, carriers of the transplanted cells, are transported and deposited in the colonies producing royal jelly. These hives are divided into two parts: one where the queen lays on the free frames and the other side orphan, where only worker bees have access. These frames are installed on the orphan side of the hive, to motivate the bees to produce royal jelly. They will then raise the young larvae by filling the cells with royal jelly.
If the frames had been installed on the queen's side, then the queen would have eliminated the larvae because only one queen can rule the colony!
3. The cutting of the lids
Usually after three days, the amount of royal jelly in the cells has reached its maximum. The beekeeper will then proceed to harvest. After recovering the slats, he will proceed to the uncapping: he cuts the upper part of the cells made of wax made by bees.
4. The release
The larvae present in the artificial cells are removed by suction.
The Royal Jelly is then stored directly in the refrigerator. This can be consumed up to 18 months after harvest.
The royal jelly that we offer at Miel Factory is harvested in Isère and is ORGANIC
This royal jelly is produced without artificial feeding of the bees during the production period (neither sugar syrup nor protein substitutes such as brewer's yeast or soybean), respecting the natural food of bees, honey and pollen.
The production is also respectful of bee health and the environment, guaranteeing a product of optimum purity.
The harvest is done in very limited quantities.