Feeding hives is a practice that has been increasing in recent years for different reasons. I know beekeepers who 30 or 35 years ago never considered feeding and yet today it seems like a must in conventional beekeeping.

We could say that there are 3 types of feeding:

  1. Stimulation: seeks to imitate an early flowering by seeking growth in the colony that would otherwise have taken a few more weeks to occur.
  2. Emergency: to correct situations of lack of nutrient availability in the field, provided to avoid the death of the colony due to hunger.
  3. Maintenance: provided, for example, in cold times to ensure the survival of the colony.

But feeding and nourishing are different things. While feeding means providing food to a living being, a key issue is involved in the concept of nutrition: providing the necessary elements for the development and tissue repair of the living being. It is therefore essential to know the physiological needs of the bee colony to meet those needs adequately and sufficiently.

The economic chapter of artificial food has become the most relevant and one of the fastest growing (National Agricultural Statistics Service Report 2023)1, It is necessary to proceed with discernment, partly due to feed needs, and partly because of supply and demand issues in international markets.

To talk about feeding bees we must start from a premise, the best food comes from the natural environment, the flowers, it is nectar as a source of carbohydrates, and pollen as a source of protein, fats, and other micronutrients, without forgetting water sources (Somerville, 2005; Brodschneider, 2010)2,3 The best nutrition is achieved by the colonies by collecting their own food in the field. To reproduce this natural mixture of ingredients is much more difficult and expensive than looking for flowering wherever it is, but that’s not always possible.

If bees are able to find, collect, and store their food, is it necessary to feed?

In most cases, yes, the alterations that we observe in the climate, its reflection in the landscape, and the impact of this effect on the health of the hives point to a future in which support feeding will in many cases be essential for the survival of the colony. With the shortening of flowering periods, early stimulation of the hive will make it possible to obtain a honey harvest.

Recognizing the deficiency status caused by any adversity and being able to intervene by supplying the necessary nutrients will help reduce the serious losses of bee colonies that we have been suffering in recent years.

Importance of nutrients and their origin:

In general, beekeepers know that there are times when it is necessary to guarantee the supply of protein. The pollens that bees collect and store in the hive not only contain macronutrients such as fats and proteins but also micronutrients such as phytosterols, minerals, vitamins, and other phytochemicals such as phenols, flavonoids, or alkaloids. Protein preparations focus on the protein and lipid fraction, possibly supplemented with water-soluble vitamin complexes, but they are generally deficient in phytosterols(Honey bee nutrition, 2024)4. Insects are not capable of synthesizing these substances, so they have to ingest them in their diet. Sterols are components of cell membranes and precursors of molting hormones (Chakrabarti et al. 2019)5. Low amounts of phytosterols in the diet have implications for immunity and offspring viability. It is advisable to save some corbicular pollen to cover deficiency status in the hives, although this practice entails some risk in terms of the spread of diseases. The effect of ensiled pollen on the microbiota (Garrido & al. 2024)6, in which hives infected with Nosema ceranae and supplied with bee bread improved their parasitization titers by microsporidium.

Pollen substitutes are usually cheaper and although many formulas have a very good palatability, this does not mean that they are highly digestible or that, once digested, the absorption of nutrients is good enough. A good supplement is not always the one that attracts the bees the most, but rather the one that translates into a better response in the health of the hive (Ricigliano, 2022)7.

The use of protein patties is necessary on many occasions, but we must know its particularities and how bees consume it. It has been observed that in deficiency stages adult bees consume it but do not store it in the combs like pollen nor do they feed the brood with the pattie. So protein starvation can affect more to brood than adult bees. Therefore it is a temporary remedy for certain times of scarcity (Noordyke ER & al. 2021)8.

The study of probiotics (a mixture of live microorganisms) and prebiotics (the food and substrate that promotes the growth of these microorganisms) as food additives is also in its first steps, but some results brings a promising future(Borges, 2021)9. An increase in production has been observed in bees stimulated with syrup in which pre- and probiotics were included (Silvia Patria, 2012)10. Also, its use in pollen supplements has increased the longevity of bees and the size of the bee’s fat body (Adam Kaznowski, 2005)11. On the other hand, supplementing honeybee with improper probiotics or probiotics can disturb the natural microbiota composition, and metabolic function which are both important to maintain homeostatic in bee intestines (Ptaszyńska AA., 2016)12. Good results of microbiota restoration have been observed using bacteria from the bee’s intestine (Damico & al. 2023)13. Further research is needed to develop balanced, stabilized formulas for use in bees and their metabolic and functional particularities.

Detect when to intervene:

The beekeeper needs to learn to recognize the deficiency states of the hives as they aren’t always obvious. For example, when there is a very abundant but little varied flowering. This is the known case of the flowering of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis) whose pollen is low in the amino acid isoleucine (Invernizzi & al. 2011)14. Bees have a natural tendency to seek floral variety, although there is a predominance of one species, they complete their diet with other flowers. But if this is not possible, it’s necessary to provide a protein supplement to complete the diet. One way to detect this lack is by going to the brood frames and checking the variety of colors, 5 different colors are a good indicator of variety.

Checking the state of the brood will also give us an idea of the abundance of nutrients. The larvae should appear shiny, swimming in a small puddle of royal jelly. If dry-looking larvae appear and that amount of royal jelly is not observed, it means that there is a lack of pollen.

Image 1 – Left: larvae with enough royal jelly; Right: dry-looking larvae poorly feeded

For the professional beekeeper, planning strategic feeding before flowering has become an obligation, but this practice also requires knowledge. It should be stopped as soon as flowering occurs so that there are no problems with honey adulteration. It should be done in small quantities at first and gradually increase both the quantity and the dilution. A contribution of syrup that is too generous at the beginning will take time to be consumed and the syrup may ferment due to the effect of yeast. This consumed syrup can induce intestinal dysbiosis in bees and outbreaks of dysentery due to nosemosis type A may appear (Scientific beekeeping, the causes of dysentery in honey bee)15. 

Along with the contribution of syrup that imitates a flow of nectar, we must provide a pollen supplement shortly after, since we will be stimulating the laying of bees. the queen, there will be an increase in brood therefore creating a need for protein in the colony.

Even with flowering, deficiency can occur, for example, due to the effect of droughts and heat waves that, in addition to drying out the nectaries of the flowers, reduce the nutritional content of the pollen grains (Pajuelo, 2023)16.

Predation in the hive also causes a detriment to the entry of nectar and pollen, by hornets (Vespa spp.) or bee-eaters (Merops apiaster). The bees remain inside fearing being captured when predators are in the vicinity of the hive. Due to the time in which this predation occurs, in the summer months, the collection of water to cool the hive and maintain sufficient humidity in the brood is also affected.

Quality markers:

A good intake of food is noticeable in a busy hive entrance, standing in front of the hive and counting 15 or 20 bees with corbicular pollen per minute is a quantitative indicator. Distinguishing various colors of pollen stored next to the brood is the qualitative indicator. To meet both, quantity and quality are necessary.  

Considering the brood, we have mentioned the moist and shiny appearance and the abundance of jelly at the bottom of the cell. But also in adult bees, we can distinguish a good nutritional state when the abdomen exceeds the edge of the folded wings.

At a laboratory level there is also a nutritional status marker: vitellogenin. This is a protein that is stored in the fat body of the bee and has a nutrient transport function in the hemolymph. It is also a marker of immunity and longevity. In the winter bee, this protein must be especially abundant; it is a reserve that they will use to feed the first larvae in the spring. 

It has been proven that parasitization by varroa consumes the colony’s vitellogenin, especially when it must prepare for the cold months, also compromising the life of the colony in this way, through a state of insufficient body reserves (David Tarpy, NC State University 2016)17.

In the incidence of diseases and colony losses, there are many factors that influence the final result. The nutritional status of the hive is one of the most decisive factors. Bee colonies face diseases as serious as varroosis, nosemosis, and viral and bacterial diseases, often in a state of malnutrition that is aggravated by the climate changes that we suffer in our time. Taking these adversities into account, detecting deficiencies, and being able to correct some of their effects is essential to be able to maintain healthy and productive colonies.

References:

  1. https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/hd76s004z/jq086x851/qn59rh469/hony0323.pdf
  2. Nutrition and health in honey bees, Robert Brodschneider and Karl Crailsheim Apidologie, 41 3 (2010) 278-294, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/apido/2010012
  3. Fat Bees Skinny Bees – a manual on honey bee nutrition for beekeepers, Published: 25 May 2005, Author(s): Somerville, D., ISBN: 1-74151-152-6
  4. Honey Bee Nutrition, A Review And Guide To Supplemental Feeding, January 1, 2024, The Honey Bee Health Coalition,  https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/nutritionguide/ 
  5. Chakrabarti, P., Morré, J.T., Lucas, H.M. et al. The omics approach to bee nutritional landscape. Metabolomics 15, 127 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-019-1590-6
  6. Garrido, P.M., Porrini, M.P., Alberoni, D. et al. Beneficial Bacteria and Plant Extracts Promote Honey Bee Health and Reduce Nosema ceranae Infection. Probiotics & Antimicro. Prot. 16, 259–274 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-022-10025-7
  7. Ricigliano, V.A., Williams, S.T. & Oliver, R. Effects of different artificial diets on commercial honey bee colony performance, health biomarkers, and gut microbiota. BMC Vet Res 18, 52 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03151-5
  8. Noordyke ER, van Santen E, Ellis JD. Tracing the Fate of Pollen Substitute Patties in Western Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies. J Econ Entomol. 2021 Aug 5;114(4):1421-1430. doi: 10.1093/jee/toab083. PMID: 34041543.
  9. Borges D, Guzman-Novoa E, Goodwin PH. Effects of Prebiotics and Probiotics on Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Infected with the Microsporidian Parasite Nosema ceranae. Microorganisms. 2021 Feb 25;9(3):481. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9030481. PMID: 33668904; PMCID: PMC7996622.
  10. PATRUICA, SILVIA and HUTU, IOAN (2013) “Economic benefits of using prebiotic and probiotic products as supplements in stimulation feeds administered to bee colonies,” Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences: Vol. 37: No. 3, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3906/vet-1110-20
  11. Adam Kaznowski, Bozena Szymas, Ewa Jazdzinska, Magdalena Kazimierczak, Halina Paetz & Joanna Mokracka (2005) The effects of probiotic supplementation on the content of intestinal microflora and chemical composition of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera), Journal of Apicultural Research, 44:1, 10-14, DOI: 10.1080/00218839.2005.11101139
  12. Ptaszyńska, A.A., Borsuk, G., Zdybicka-Barabas, A. et al. Are commercial probiotics and prebiotics effective in the treatment and prevention of honeybee nosemosis C?. Parasitol Res 115, 397–406 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4761-z
  13. Damico, M. E., Beasley, B., Greenstein, D., Raymann, K. 2023. Testing the effectiveness of a commercially sold probiotic on restoring the gut microbiota of honey bees: a field study. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, DOI: 10.1007/s12602-023-10203-1
  14. Invernizzi, Ciro & Santos, Estela & García, E. & Daners, Gloria & Landro, R. & Saadoun, A. & Cabrera, C.. (2011). Sanitary and nutritional characterization of honeybee colonies in Eucalyptus grandis plantations. Archivos de Zootecnia. 60. 1303-1314. 10.4321/S0004-05922011000400045. 
  15. https://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-causes-of-dysentery-in-honey-bees-part-2/ 
  16. https://www.mieldemalaga.com/asociacion/jornadas/ponencias/texto23-1.pdf
  17. https://www.honeyshow.co.uk/lecture-videos.php
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