Honey Bee Honey Bee Nutrition And Nutrition And

Feeding Feeding

Clarence H. CollisonClarence H. Collison

Emeritus Professor/Dept. Emeritus Professor/Dept. HeadHead

Mississippi State Mississippi State UniversityUniversity

Honey Bee DietHoney Bee Diet

PollenPollen Nectar or HoneyNectar or Honey WaterWater

Water Is A Vital Water Is A Vital Component In The Component In The

Honey Bee DietHoney Bee Diet

WaterWater

Carrying Dissolved Food Carrying Dissolved Food Materials To All Parts Of Materials To All Parts Of The BodyThe Body

Assists In The Removal Of Assists In The Removal Of Waste ProductsWaste Products

Involved In Digesting And Involved In Digesting And Metabolizing FoodMetabolizing Food

NectaNectarr

CarbohydrCarbohydrate Sourceate Source

““Energy Energy Source”Source”

PollePollenn

•ProteinProtein•Amino Amino AcidsAcids•MineralsMinerals•VitaminsVitamins•FatsFats•SterolsSterols

Protein Content Of Protein Content Of Pollens Varies From 10-Pollens Varies From 10-

36%36% Not All Pollens Are Nutritionally AlikeNot All Pollens Are Nutritionally Alike

Bees Generally Collect And Utilize A Bees Generally Collect And Utilize A Mixture Of PollensMixture Of Pollens

Many Individual Pollens Are Many Individual Pollens Are Nutritionally Inadequate, Lacking In Nutritionally Inadequate, Lacking In Certain Amino Acids Required By Certain Amino Acids Required By BeesBees

A Total Of 10 Amino A Total Of 10 Amino Acids Must Be Present Acids Must Be Present In The Diet Of Honey In The Diet Of Honey Bees For Maximum Bees For Maximum

DevelopmentDevelopment

Ten Essential Amino Ten Essential Amino AcidsAcids

ThreonineThreonine ValineValine MethionineMethionine LeucineLeucine Iso-leucineIso-leucine PhenylalaninePhenylalanine LysineLysine HistidineHistidine ArginineArginine TryptophanTryptophan

SucroseSucrose

Glucose Glucose (Dextrose)(Dextrose)

Fructose Fructose (Levulose)(Levulose)

Nectar And Pollen Not Nectar And Pollen Not AvailableAvailable

Sweet-Tasting Juices From Sweet-Tasting Juices From Overripe Fruit And Plant ExudatesOverripe Fruit And Plant Exudates

Collect Honeydew And Store It As Collect Honeydew And Store It As HoneyHoney

Rob BirdfeedersRob Birdfeeders Collect Grain From Animal Collect Grain From Animal

MangersMangers Coal Dust, Caulking From WindowsCoal Dust, Caulking From Windows

Extended Brood Rearing Extended Brood Rearing Is Not Possible Unless Is Not Possible Unless

Pollen Or An Appropriate Pollen Or An Appropriate Source Of Protein And Source Of Protein And Vitamins Are AvailableVitamins Are Available

Honey Bees Can Live On Honey Bees Can Live On A Pure Carbohydrate A Pure Carbohydrate

Diet For Extended Diet For Extended Periods Of TimePeriods Of Time

Bees Are Unable To Use Bees Are Unable To Use Pollen As An Energy Pollen As An Energy

SourceSource

1 Cell Of Honey1 Cell Of Honey

1000 Cells= 1 lb. 1000 Cells= 1 lb. HoneyHoney

1 lb. Honey= 1000 1 lb. Honey= 1000 BeesBees

150-175 lbs./Year150-175 lbs./Year

1 lb. Pollen = 4500 1 lb. Pollen = 4500 BeesBees

100 lbs./Year100 lbs./Year

Adult Queens Obtain Adult Queens Obtain Protein From Royal Protein From Royal

JellyJelly

Adult Workers (1-14 Adult Workers (1-14 Days Old) Obtain Dietary Days Old) Obtain Dietary

Protein From PollenProtein From Pollen

Adult Drones (1-8 Days Adult Drones (1-8 Days Old) Obtain Dietary Old) Obtain Dietary Protein From Food Protein From Food Supplied By Young Supplied By Young

WorkersWorkers

If Young Workers Do Not If Young Workers Do Not Consume Needed Consume Needed

ProteinsProteins

Brood Food Glands Will Not Brood Food Glands Will Not Develop CompletelyDevelop Completely

Their Royal Jelly Will Not Their Royal Jelly Will Not Support Normal Growth And Support Normal Growth And Development Of LarvaeDevelopment Of Larvae

Will Not Support Egg Will Not Support Egg Production In The QueenProduction In The Queen

When Nurse Bees Begin When Nurse Bees Begin Producing Royal Jelly For Producing Royal Jelly For

Young Larvae And The Young Larvae And The Queen, They Need A Diet Queen, They Need A Diet

High In VitaminsHigh In Vitamins

Vitellogenin Is The Vitellogenin Is The Main Storage Main Storage

Protein In Honey Protein In Honey Bee HemolymphBee Hemolymph

Food Of Larval Food Of Larval Bees Is Entirely Bees Is Entirely Different From Different From That Of Adult That Of Adult

BeesBees

Larval Honey BeesLarval Honey Bees

Worker and drone larvae Worker and drone larvae receive royal jelly for first receive royal jelly for first two days, then worker and two days, then worker and drone jelly + (bee bread)drone jelly + (bee bread)

Queen larvae receive royal Queen larvae receive royal jelly throughout their jelly throughout their larval periodlarval period

Pollen Is Essential For Pollen Is Essential For The Growth Of Emerging The Growth Of Emerging Young Bees And For The Young Bees And For The

Development Of The Development Of The Brood Food GlandsBrood Food Glands

Larval Skins In Larval Skins In Front Of ColonyFront Of Colony

Anytime Less Than Anytime Less Than Three Full Frames Of Three Full Frames Of

Honey, The Colony Honey, The Colony Should Be FedShould Be Fed

Do Not Feed Brown Do Not Feed Brown Sugar Or MolassesSugar Or Molasses

Sugar CandySugar Candy15 Pounds Of Sugar15 Pounds Of Sugar

3 Pounds Of Glucose Or 3 Pounds Of Glucose Or White Corn SyrupWhite Corn Syrup

4 Cups Of Water4 Cups Of Water

½ tsp. Cream Of Tartar½ tsp. Cream Of Tartar

242° F-------180° F242° F-------180° F

Sugar SyrupSugar Syrup2:12:1

Sugar:WaterSugar:Water

Sugar SyrupSugar Syrup1 ½ : 11 ½ : 1

Sugar:WaterSugar:Water

How Long Do You How Long Do You Need To Feed A Need To Feed A

Colony Sugar Syrup?Colony Sugar Syrup?

High Fructose High Fructose Corn SyrupCorn Syrup

55% Fructose55% Fructose42% Fructose42% Fructose

Pollen Pollen SupplementSupplement

Pollen SubstitutePollen Substitute

1 Pollen Cake1 Pollen Cake

2 oz. Pollen2 oz. Pollen5.5 oz. Water5.5 oz. Water10.5 oz. Sugar10.5 oz. Sugar

6 oz. Soybean Flour6 oz. Soybean Flour

32 Pollen Cakes32 Pollen Cakes

4 lbs. Pollen4 lbs. Pollen11 lbs. Water11 lbs. Water21 lbs. Sugar21 lbs. Sugar

12 lbs. Soybean Flour12 lbs. Soybean Flour

Pollen SubstitutesPollen Substitutes

Bee Pro® Is A Soy Meal Based Bee Pro® Is A Soy Meal Based Diet Diet

Feed Bee® Is A Non-Soy Feed Bee® Is A Non-Soy Based DietBased Diet

MegaBee™ The Tucson Bee MegaBee™ The Tucson Bee DietDiet

MegaBee® May MegaBee® May Be Used As A Be Used As A

Liquid, Patty Or Liquid, Patty Or As Dry FeedAs Dry Feed

MegaBee®MegaBee®

Stephen McDaniel PhotoStephen McDaniel Photo Stephen McDaniel PhotoStephen McDaniel Photo

MegaBee®MegaBee®

Tripled Brood Production Tripled Brood Production And Increased Adult And Increased Adult Population By 30% Over Population By 30% Over ControlsControls