Managing Nutrition

Extension/Research ApiculturistDepartment Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology & Plant Pathology

Mississippi State University, MS 39762

Jeff Harris

Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station

Good Beekeeping

• Regular re-queening

• Comb replacement

• Pest and disease surveillance

• Nutrition management

Beekeeping Goals

• Building bee population prior to a major honey flow

• Maintaining a stable bee population

• Allowing bee population to drop during periods of unsustainability like a prolonged drought

• Good nutrition equals better disease resistance

• Good nutrition needed for drone production and queen rearing

Honey Bee Nutrition

Dietary Requirements of Honey Bees

• Carbohydrates (sugars)

• Proteins (amino acids)

• Lipids (fatty acids, sterols)

• Minerals

• Vitamins

• Water

• Nectar

• Pollen

• Water

Primary Energy Food

Honey Production by Colonies

• Colony with 50,000 bees can store 12 lbs. honey per day during a major flow

• Colony with 35,000 bees can only store 4.8 lbs. honey per day

Nectar Forage

Zachary Huang, Mich. State Univ.

Nectar Honey

• Nectar is a dilute solution of sucrose (25-45%)

• Bees add enzymes to nectar, regurgitate the mixture into honeycomb, and evaporate the excess water

• The fully ripened and capped product is a complex mixture called honey

• Honey is mostly glucose and fructose, 12-21% water and some minerals

Metabolism

• Anabolism – synthesis of biomolecules from dietary precursors

• Catabolism – degradation of foods to fuel molecules that ultimately get “burned” to yield energy, CO2 and H2O

Zachary Huang, Mich. State Univ.

Crop or honey stomach. Holds nectar during foraging trips. Enzymes from the midgut are added before nectar is regurgitated to make honey (e.g. invertase)

Proventricular teeth filter pollen into midgut while retaining nectar in cropPhotos: Zachary Huang, Mich. State Univ.

Glucose is Primary Fuel Molecule

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + 688,500 calories

Complete Bio-oxidation of Glucose

From Gut to Mitochondria• Food molecules broken down to smaller units

• Sugars, proteins and lipids all can be converted to pyruvate (a major entry point to aerobic respiration)

– If O2 is available for aerobic respiration, pyruvate enters mitochondria and fully oxidizes to CO2 and H20

– If not enough O2, pyruvate is fermented into lactate (e.g. in active vertebrate muscle), or into ethanol (yeast)

Glycolysis

Step 5 8 requires NAD+

When NAD+ levels fall, the oxidized form needs to be regenerated

NAD+ cannot cross into mitochondria

Vertebrates use 12 13 under anaerobic conditions to regenerate NAD+

Insects used glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle

Phosphofructokinase is key regulator

Krebs's Cycle, Citric Acid Cycle:

Within mitochondria

Pyruvate is fully oxidized to carbon dioxide and water by this cycle.

Serves as entry point for many substrates:

Fats fatty acids, glycerol pyruvate,or acetyl-CoA

Polysaccharides mono- pyruvate

Proteins amino acids pyruvate

Electron Transport Chain

ATP is the Currency of Energy in All Living Systems

ADP and ATP are nucleotide coenzymes that transfer phosphate groups (rather than hydrogen atoms); the anhydride bond in ATP is energy-rich

7,300 calories per ATP

40% of energy from glucose molecule

Flight Energetics of Insects

• Honey bee flight: 2,400 calories per gram muscle per hour

• Hummingbird flight: 215 calories per gram muscle per hour

• Best human athlete: 80 calories per gram muscle per hour

Honey Demands of Colony

• Surviving winter

• Brood production / colony growth

Honey Consumption by Colonies

• High during brood rearing– maintaining broodnest temperature of 95 F– food demands of brood– increased foraging activity

• Winter clusters are most efficient when cluster temperature is 43-46 F

Winter Stores

• ≥ 70 lbs. stored food 18% colony loss

• < 60 lbs. stored food 55% colony loss

• Typically, 45-65 lbs. stored food should be sufficient in moderate winters

Feeding Sucrose

• Dry Sugar – does not stimulate foraging activity

• Thin Syrup (≤ 50%) – stimulates foraging, comb construction, and brood rearing if trickled to colony

• Thick Syrup (67%) – usually does not stimulate; used in autumn feeding to offset short-falls

Feeding Sucrose

• 33% Syrup: trickle; stimulates brood rearing

4.2 lbs. sucrose + 1 gallon water (makes 1.2 gallons syrup)

• 50% Syrup: spring feeding

8.3 lbs. sucrose + 1 gallon water (makes 1.6 gallons syrup)

• Thick Syrup (67%): autumn feeding

16.6 lbs. sucrose + 1 gallon water (makes 2.3 gallons syrup)

Sucrose Supplements/Substitutes

• High-fructose Corn Syrup (30-40% cheaper than sucrose)

– Toxins include starch, acids, enzymes

– High temperatures leads to formation of hydroxy-methylfurfural (HMF), which is toxic to bees above 30 ppm

• Waste sugars from candy production

– Toxins may include starch, flours and salt

– Gums and resins degrade to toxic substances

Toxic Sugars

– Rhaminose– Xylose– Arabinose– Galactose– Mannose– Lactose– Raffinose– Stachyose

Feeding Colonies(entrance feeder)

Feeding Colonies(bucket gravity)

Feeding Colonies(homemade gravity)

Feeding Colonies(division board)

Feeding Colonies(exposed station)

Protein and Nutrients

Pollen Forage

Zachary Huang, Mich. State Univ.

Pollen

• Minimum crude protein in most pollens is 20-25%

• Total pollen intake can be as important as crude protein content of the pollen

• Worker longevity is strongly correlated with higher protein content in pollen

• Polyfloral diets are better than monofloral diets

Crude Protein Content

• Almond 25%• Apple 23%• Blueberry 14%• Buckwheat 11%• Canola 24%• Citrus 18%• Clovers 25%• Corn 15%

• Dandelion 23%• Lupins 30%• Lavendar 19%• Pear 26%• Thistles 18%• Sunflower 14%• Vetch 24%• Willows 15%

Monoculture vs. Polyfloral

Pollinator Gardens / Pollinator Hikes

Pollen Important for Brood Food Production

Salivary gland

Photos: Zachary Huang, Mich. State Univ.

Protein in Pollen

3 kg of pollen with 20% crude protein

is equal to

2 kg of pollen with 30% crude protein

(collecting the latter is more efficient)

Importance of Pollen

• Amino Acids (threonine, valine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, histidine, lysine, arginine and tryptophan)

• Fatty acids (linoleic, capric, lauric and myristic) – 5-8%

• Sterols (24-methylene cholesterol)

• Minerals (potassium, phosphate, magnesium, and 27 trace elements) – 1-7%

• Vitamins– especially B complex (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxin and pantothenic acid)– vitamin A– vitamin K– gibberellin acid– inositol

When to Feed Pollen Supplement/Substitutes?

• When flight is restricted (e.g. cool weather in spring)

• Boosting weak or nucleus colonies

• During pollen deficient honey flows

• When pollen source is poor quality, or monofloral

Drawbacks from Pollen in Supplements?

• Disease spores in collected pollen (American Foulbrood & Chalkbrood)

• Short nutrient shelf life for stored pollen

• Cost 10-20 times more to collect and store pollen than to buy soy flour or some other substitutes

What is the Best Pollen?

• Freshly collected, used by the bees within 1-2 months of collection (best for brood production)

• Trapped and then frozen at -15 C (loses nutrient values after 2 years)

• Trapped and dried pollen (loses nutrient value within 12 months)

Bee Bread Pollen + Microflora

Make Your Own Bee Breed

• Heat water; add honey; boil for 5 minutes

• Cool to 86-90 F; add culture; add pollen

• Press to fill ¾ volume of fermentation container; seal tightly

• Incubate at 86-90F for 2-3 days

• Cool to 68F (no lower than 64F); allow fermentation for 8-12 days

• Final product will last for years if left sealed

Relative portions by weight: 10 fresh pollen; 1.5 honey; 2.5 clean water; 0.02 whey or culture (Lactobacillus xylosus)

Pollen Supplement Recipes

• Pollen 10-25%• Soy flour 20-100%• Yeast 20-25%• Sugar/honey/water 20-50%

Pollen and honey should be irradiated

Make and use immediately; do not store for periods > 6 months

Types of Soy Flour

• Solvent-extracted – this flour is a by-product of oil extraction process; hexane or similar solvent used; high protein content of 50%; cheap; solvent residues toxic to bees

• Expeller processed – heated and squished to remove oil; too much heat can denature protein; high protein content of 50%; oil 6%; BETTER than solvent-extracted

• Microwave heated – often retains anti-nutritional components; oil remains in cells of plant tissue; e.g. some full fat soys

Commercial Protein Supplements

• Global Patties • MegaBee • BeePro• Bee-Pol• Feed-Bee

Ontario Tech Team

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/pollen-supplement-formula/

Protein Supplements

• Place patties close to broodnest

• Feed a light syrup at the same time; helps stimulate brood rearing

• Be careful in cooler periods!

Measures of Quality

• Increased brood production; colony growth

• Increased worker longevity

• Increased blood vitellogenin

• Boost in immune functions (e.g. pro-phenol oxidase)

Am I Wasting My Money with Feeding?

• To build up bee populations for pollination, splitting or package bee production

• To prepare for maximal honey production

• To prepare good quality winter bees

• To improve bee immunity or resilience to parasitism, etc.