Brood Rearing and Food Consumption by Honeybee Colonies Fed Pollen Substitutes Supplemented with Starch-Encapsulated Pollen Extracts

Abstract

SummaryThe whole lipid fraction of fresh bee-collected pollen was encapsulated in a starch polymer and added to a whey-yeast pollen substitute. Honeybee colonies fed pollen substitute supplemented with 2, 4, 6 or 8% (dry weight) of the lipid reared significantly more brood to the sealed stage than did colonies fed the substitute without lipid. Colonies fed 2 or 4% lipid reared as much brood as colonies fed pollen. Addition of the starch-coated pollen lipid to the pollen substitute also improved its consumption, but not in proportion to the improvement in brood production; thus the pollen lipid may have influenced brood production directly as well as by increasing protein intake.