I got a phone call just the other day from someone who asked me what the bees are doing so early in the season. Well they are out in search of food. Pollen when combined with honey is also known as bee bread and around here the first thing I see them going after is the pussy willow just off of my back deck. As soon as the pussy willow pops open and starts to go it is covered with a ton of pollen. The bees gather it on their "legs" bring it back to the hives where it will be carefully packed into cells.
Pollen is stored in broodcomb cells and is the main supply of protein and vitamins for the hive. Pollen is 6 to 28% protein by weight and usually contains the 10 amino acids essential for bees.
Nectar is from 5 to 80% sugar but is less than 0.2% in protein, so nectar is the carbohydrate supply for the hive. Nectar is placed in honeycomb cells and the bees tending the honeycomb evaporate the water from the nectar by rapid wing movement to create ventilation. When the amount of water remaining in the nectar is less than 18%, the mixture is called honey and the bees cap off the cells.
A mixture of honey and pollen is called "bee bread" and is the food for most larvae and bees. When a worker egg has been selected to become a queen, it is moved to a much larger queen cell and is fed large quantities of "royal jelly" which is similar to bee bread but contains more mandibular gland secretions and more honey (34% vs 12%). The larger cell for growth, larger food supply, additional carbohydrate, and more worker secretions results in the development of a queen.
As soon as I can get a good photo showing bee bread I'll put it up.
This educational moment has been brought to you by . . . .heck I couldn't help it:)
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