Bee's Behavior

What do bees do with pollen?

Our buzzing friends collect nectar and pollen during their foraging trips. But do you know what they do with it back in their nest

Well, the nutritional needs of honey bees resemble those of human beings. They need carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, proteins(amino acids), and water. To satisfy these needs, they gather nectar, water, and pollen. Pollen is a vital part of the honey bee diet and their sole protein source. It also supplies the bees with minerals, fatty acids, vitamins, and simple sugars.

Nectar is converted to honey and supplies carbohydrates to the colony. Without a supply of energy, bees can die within a few days. It also supplies minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and copper. The mineral concentrations vary from flower to flower. 

Bees collect both pollen and nectar from flowers. As they forage, they also help pollinate flowers and plants as they move from one flower to another. Surprisingly, they help to pollinate about 40,000 plant species in the world! Humans benefit from honey bees through the products and also in crop production.

What is Pollen and Where is it Produced?

Pollen is a powder-like substance (greenish or yellow in color) containing male reproductive elements or sperms for the next generation of flowers. It is produced by the stamen in one of its components known as another. 

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As worker bees move from flower to flower, they spread pollen to stigmas (female reproductive parts). This process is known as pollination and may happen on the same flower or different flowers. Bees collect pollen based on configuration and odor as opposed to nutritional value.  Amazingly, a single worker bee can carry 35% of its total body weight pollen. 

What do bees do with pollen?

Bees collect pollen from flowering plants, cover it with regurgitated nectar to form pollen pellets, and ferry back to their nests. It is processed into bee bread and stored in cells. Bee bread is used to feed the developing larvae (workers and drones) and is also biosynthesized into royal jelly by the young worker bees.

They consume a lot of bee bread to secret royal jelly to feed the queen and the developing larvae. This resembles mammal milk that is fed to young ones. 

A queen bee feeds on royal jelly throughout her life while drone and worker larvae consume it for a few days before switching to bee bread. The young worker bees secrete the royal jelly through their special glands in their heads. 

How Bees Harvest and Transport Pollen Back to Their Nest

Bees collect pollen passively during flower to flower visitation. As they fly through the air, a static electric charge is created on their body. And once a bee lands on a flower, the negatively charged pollen from a flower jumps and sticks securely to the bee’s hairy body. This helps them to collect pollen dust from the flowers they visit. 

Once the body is fully covered with pollen particles, a forager will groom itself and comb all the pollen with stiff hair-like structures on its front legs. It then mixes the pollen particles with regurgitated nectar and saliva to form a pollen pellet and push the load into the saddlebag-like structures situated on its hind legs. 

A bee can fit numerous pollen grains to make a pellet and can carry pollen equivalent to a third of its weight. Once the luggage is secured, it flies back to the nest to offload. It deposits the pellets into cells next to developing larvae with their front legs. A bee can make 12 foraging trips in a day!

Components of Pollen

Pollen contains proteins, minerals, fatty acids, vitamins, and simple sugars. The percentages of these components vary from plant to plant or floral species. 

The protein content falls between 2.5 % to 61% depending on the plant species. The outer covering of a pollen grain is soft and viscous and enables it to stick to a bee’s body or other insect pollinators. Beneath the outer coating is an inner layer of the pollen grain, which protects the nutritious cytoplasm. It is usually hard for animals to digest pollen. Bees contain digestive enzymes that break down the hard coating. 

Some pollen sources have a higher pollen value than others. Any dietary deficiency is often filled by having multiple sources of pollen. At least three floral sources will balance out any deficit from a single source. A healthy colony may consume more than 50kg of pollen annually. 

How Pollen is Stored in the Hive

Pollen is stored in cells between the brood and honey cells in a different form known as bee bread. In its natural state, it is indigestible by the young bees and may go bad if stored in the cells for months.

The younger worker bees press and pack the pollen pellets firmly in the cells to push out air. They also add glandular secretions containing enzymes and acid to the pellets to condition them and preserve them longer. 

As the field bees come in, they can also add other loads on top. A single cell may contain pollen pellets with different colors from floral sources. The added saliva and enzymes contain probiotic yeast and bacteria that break down protein in the pollen into simpler nutrients and amino acids. Once a cell is about three-quarters full, the bees seal it with a layer of honey. This is why stored pollen has a shiny surface. 

In this state, it is referred to as bee bread, more nutritious, stable, and easy to digest. It consists of 75% pollen mixed with saliva, nectar, and honey. 

Unlike honey, pollen is consumed at a high rate in a colony and only lasts for a couple of months. Requirements for pollen can vary depending on the size of the territory( between 15-55Kgs). A single worker larva requires about 124mg to 145 mg of pollen. 

How to Harvest Bee Bread

Bee bread is also known as Ambrosia( food of the gods). Its popularity is growing due to its nutritional properties. It contains a mixture of simple sugars, essential amino acids, proteins, and omega fatty acids.  It is also an excellent source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and substantial antimicrobial properties. 

Honey bee colonies sometimes produce extra bee bread, just like honey. Too much of it can create congestion between the brood chamber and honey supers. If this happens, a beekeeper can cut a portion of the comb, pack it and freeze it until the bees need it. 

Many people also want to reap the nutritional benefits of bee bread. Some individuals eat pollen and bee bread as part of their diet. Its supplements are sold in food health companies with royal jelly, propolis, and bee pollen. 

Shelf Life of Pollen

While honey can stay for years without going bad, pollen has a shorter life span of one year when refrigerated. Despite the bees adding enzymes and nectar to transform it into bee bread, its shelf life is shorter. If it is stored for long, it dries out and loses its nutritional properties. Worker bees usually remove it from the nest. It appears as hard marbles on the bottom board. 

How Pollen is Harvested

Like honey, a honey bee colony usually has excess pollen that you can collect as a beekeeper. Bee pollen is often sold as a health supplement, making it a great way to reap benefits from beekeeping. It is an ideal source of antioxidant polyphenols. 

Beekeepers get pollen from bees by using pollen traps. These involve encouraging field bees that are already loaded with pollen to pass through small openings in a wire mesh or punched plate. As they press through the gaps, the pollen pellets are scrapped from their legs and collected in a tray.  The openings are just enough for a forager to pass through. All other entrances are closed. 

If intended for human consumption, you should be collected daily, and observe sanitary conditions. Due to its perishable nature should be preserved immediately after collection to retard mold growth and retain its medicinal and nutritional properties. The harvesting process is labor-intensive. 

Beekeepers can also consider trapping pollen to feed the colony in times of shortage and dearth since natural pollen is superior to pollen substitutes. 

Protecting Pollen: Challenges and Solutions

Bee-ing in Trouble: Threats to Pollen Availability

Pollen availability for bees is under threat due to various factors. Habitat loss, caused by urbanization and agricultural expansion, reduces the diversity of flowering plants, limiting the pollen sources available to bees. Pesticide use also poses a significant threat, as it can harm bees and decrease the availability of pollen-rich plants. Climate change further exacerbates the issue by altering flowering patterns and affecting plant-pollinator interactions.

Bee-Smart Solutions: Helping Bees Find More Pollen

Several solutions are being implemented to address the challenges facing pollen availability. Planting pollinator-friendly gardens and creating habitat corridors can provide bees with diverse and abundant pollen sources. Additionally, reducing pesticide usage and promoting sustainable agricultural practices can help protect both bees and their pollen sources. Educating communities about the importance of preserving bee habitats and supporting pollinator populations is also essential in ensuring the availability of pollen for bees in the future.

Other Sources of Pollen For Honey Bees

There are a variety of artificial pollen diets for honey bees that can be used to substitute natural sources. However, their nutritional profile is inferior compared to pollen collected from flowers. The most common ingredients used are brewers yeast, soybean flour, rice bran, and fish meal. 

What Affects the Demand of Pollen Need in a colony

Brood rearing in a colony affects the quantity of pollen collected. The greater the brood area, the greater the quantity of pollen needed.  From late fall through the winter season, there is minimal brood production, hence minimal pollen requirements. However, good-quality pollen is necessary for spring,  summer, and early autumn. Poor quality pollen results in bees with reduced longevity.  

If there is a shortage of pollen in a colony, it may hinder population buildup in a bee colony. Stored bee bread enhances brood rearing in late winter when the blooming flowers are unavailable.  

When are pollen substitutes provided to honey bees

In late winter and early spring, colonies begin brood rearing before flowers start to bloom. Beekeepers may need to supplement pollen needs for their colonies at this time especially when the winter seasons are long.

The pollen supplements should coincide with the start of brood rearing season. If it is given earlier, the bee colony may outgrow the remaining food reserves. If supplied late, the colony may weaken due to a lack of proper nutrition. 

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Pollen Research?

Unlocking Pollen Mysteries: Future Research Aims

In the future, scientists want to learn even more about pollen. They aim to understand how different plants help bees and how things like climate change affect pollen. They also want to develop better ways to study pollen, which could help us understand more about how ecosystems work.

How Understanding Pollen Can Help Save Bees and Our Planet

Learning more about pollen could be really important for saving bees and protecting our planet. With this knowledge, we can make better decisions about caring for bee habitats and the plants they rely on. This helps keep ecosystems healthy, which is good for everyone.

FAQs

Why do bees collect pollen?

Bees collect pollen because it plays a vital role in their diet as a protein source. 

Do bees use pollen to produce honey?

No, honey bees use nectar only to make honey. Pollen is used to making bee bread to feed young bees. 

How do bees collect and carry pollen?

Bees collect pollen mainly accidentally since it sticks to their statically charged hairs as they forage from one flower to another. They mix the pollen with nectar to make pollen pellets, push it to the pollen sacs located on the hind legs, and ferry it to the nest.

Do honey bees collect pollen from different plants?

For a healthy bee colony, colonies gather pollen from different blooming plants. This provides complete nutrition for the young bees. 

Do beekeepers give pollen substitutes to their colonies?

In late winter and early spring, colonies mainly require pollen provision. Some beekeepers trap pollen in late spring and summer stores and feed the bees in times of scarcity. Others provide pollen substitutes. 

What is bee bread?

Bee bread is the pollen that has undergone chemical changes. It is fed to larvae and is also consumed by adult bees. 

Can honey bees eat fresh pollen?

Field bees cannot eat pollen as they collect or load it back to the hive. The pollen grain is covered with a tough coating. Older bees can’t secrete proteolytic enzymes that are needed for pollen digestion.

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Besides pollen and nectar, are there other food sources that bees collect?

Honey bees can collect fruit exudates, juices from plants, and honeydew in place of nectar. They can also collect dusty animal feeds or spores in times of scarcity. 

Which category of bees feeds on bee bread the most?

The young worker bees. They have to consume plenty of bee bread so as to secrete royal jelly to feed the developing larvae. Queen bees also require an abundant supply of royal jelly daily. 

Where does pollen come from?

Pollen comes from the male reproductive organs of plants known as the stamen. 

What is the color of pollen?

Pollen appears mainly as greenish-yellow dust. However, other colors such as red and white also exist.

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