Honeybees need sugar (essentially water) as energy source, proteins for building cells, essential sterols and minerals from nectar and pollen as sources of essential dietary needs, plus various other sources.
Bees possess large compound eyes and sensitive antennae on their heads, while their thoraces feature powerful flight muscles for flight. Finally, their brain coordinates all body functions.
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Nutritional Needs of Honey Bees
Honey bees require essential components to survive, including carbohydrates (in the form of nectar and honey), amino acids from pollen, lipids (fats and sterols), minerals (salts) and water; all must be present at specific ratios in order for them to thrive. Nectar concentration varies based on floral species.
One type of pollen may only contain 2% isoleucine while another type may contain 4%, an ideal ratio for protein synthesis. Bees can compensate for this imbalance by intaking more of the lower-value pollen; however, this requires additional energy expenditure as well as wasted pollen.
Beekeepers should make every attempt to feed their colonies from natural resources available in the area; however, feeding may sometimes become necessary. When providing feeding supplements such as table sugar as necessary for their bees’ food sources – beekeepers often differ on how much should be used based on personal opinion from beekeepers.
Nutritional Needs of Larvae
Diet plays an essential role in meeting larvae’s nutritional requirements, especially under changing seasonal conditions. Bumblebees foraging on water with different concentrations of sodium, potassium and magnesium salts showed distinct preferences; their foraging activity, pollen collection ability and brood rearing capacity significantly outshone those of control bees (as indicated by how many left their hives within 30 min).
Larvae require proteins for development, with protein quality being essential. Pollen can provide crude proteins from different floral sources that vary by the amino acids present; honeybees cannot synthesize them themselves and must obtain them via their diet. By providing an assortment of pollen from different floral sources, colonies will ensure that all dietary requirements are fulfilled; each pollen provides different amounts of reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, starch, lipids and minerals that the colony needs; this ensures optimal colony health!
Nutritional Needs of Adult Bees
Honey bee worker health depends on adequate nutrition. Larvae are particularly dependent on protein and can be severely affected by any shortages. Insufficient protein levels can delay completion of larval development and lead to reduced brood production as well as weaker workers.
Beekeepers can supplement colonies’ nutritional needs at three levels: individual, larval and colony. This short course explores this subject.
This study investigated the effects of different diets on honey bee protein content and hemolymph proteins. Diet treatments evaluated in this research included homebrew syrup, Global, Feed-Bee and Healthy Bees diets (Table 1). Diet consumption was monitored at each apiary site during August-November and December-February feeding periods; essential amino acid content relative to leucine was normalized per diet treatment while Nosema abundance was monitored but not significantly affected by different treatments or sites (Table S4).
Nutritional Needs of Bees in Winter
Nectar is the primary source of carbohydrates for honey bees. A bee suckles nectar through her proboscis and stores it in their “honey crop.” A proventriculus allows them to use enzymes to convert sugars into acidic substances like gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide that make their honey more acidic and germ-killing (see Figure below).
Protein (amino acids) is another essential part of bee diets, and bees get most of theirs from pollen sources such as Iowa spring pollen, which contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids that assist nurse bees in raising brood more efficiently. Studies have demonstrated this difference by showing how spring Iowa pollen had more beneficial Omega 3s that helped nurse bees raise brood more successfully than summer Arizona pollen did.
protein-rich feed is vital to keeping honey bee colonies going during winter. If a beekeeper only has limited frames of uncapped honey available for winter supplies, solid winter feed such as candy boards, fondant or sugar bricks should be offered instead.
