Scientists Develop New Protein Diet for Honey Bees

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Scientists Develop New Protein Diet for Honey BeesPosted by workerbeej on February 16, 2008

American bee researchers are looking closely at better nutrition as a possible defence against Colony Collapse Disorder, and have developed a new “science-based” bee food to that purpose. MegaBee was developed by Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman and her colleagues at the ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, and went on the market in 2007 through Dadant.

Honey bees devour a new, nutrient-rich food. This artificial diet resulted from 5 months of research. Photo by Ausmus (ARS USDA)

Bee researcher Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman and her ARS colleagues tested nearly 1,000 different combinations of amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — in their search for the most effective bee diet supplement.

MegaBee bee diet was tested on California bees preparing to go to almond pollination in spring 2007, and again in winter 2007 with the same bees. Results of field testing showed that bees ate MegaBee at about the same rate as natural pollen, but the MegaBee-fed colonies produced more brood.

Artificial feeding can be the key to survival of struggling colonies in early spring, before forage plants are in bloom or when cold wet weather prevents the bees from flying. The developers of MegaBee also suggest that the product “might be especially useful as a late-fall and early-winter nutrition boost for bees, a time when colonies typically enter a low ebb.”

Northern beekeepers may be a bit concerned about stimulating brood production too late in the season, if the usual corresponding increase in Varroa mites are also to be expected — right before bee yards get snowed in for the winter, and colder temperatures prevent any mite-control treatments.

Future plans call for further tests to see if bees outside of California will also thrive on this new diet, and to provide more information about honey bees’ year-round nutrition needs.