Bee pollen is a substance collected and processed by bees, serving as a food source for the colony. It is distinct from the raw pollen found on flowers, as bees transform it through a specialized process. This transformation makes it a nutrient-rich and storable food product for the hive.
Foraging for Pollen
Worker bees collect pollen from flowering plants. As a bee flies, its fuzzy body develops a positive electrostatic charge due to friction with air particles. When the bee lands on a flower, this positive charge attracts the negatively charged pollen grains, causing them to adhere to the bee’s hairy body.
The bee then gathers these pollen grains using its legs and mouthparts. Stiff hairs on the bee’s legs act like brushes, helping to collect the pollen. The bee moistens the pollen with nectar and saliva, forming a compact pellet. These pellets are then packed into specialized structures called corbiculae, or “pollen baskets,” located on their hind legs. A single bee can carry pollen loads that amount to a significant portion of its body weight, sometimes up to one-third.
Transforming Pollen into Bee Bread
Upon returning to the hive, the foraging bee unloads its pollen pellets into honeycomb cells. Other worker bees then process the collected pollen. They mix the pollen with nectar, honey, and digestive enzymes from their salivary glands. This mixture is then tightly compacted into the cells, often in layers from different pollen sources.
Once compacted, the cells containing the pollen mixture are sealed with honey or wax, creating an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. This initiates fermentation, driven by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts introduced by the bees’ saliva. This fermentation transforms the raw pollen into “bee bread,” also known as “perga” or “ambrosia.” The fermentation process breaks down the tough outer shell of pollen grains and converts complex proteins and starches into more digestible amino acids and simple sugars, enhancing its nutritional value. It also lowers the pH, which helps preserve the bee bread and prevents the growth of undesirable microorganisms.
Why Bees Make Pollen
Bee bread serves as the primary protein source for the bee colony. It provides proteins, amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals necessary for the growth and development of young bees. Nurse bees, which are young adult bees, consume bee bread to develop their hypopharyngeal glands. These glands produce royal jelly, a specialized food fed to the queen bee and very young larvae.
Bee bread is also important for the development of older larvae and the overall health and productivity of the hive. While young larvae initially receive royal jelly, worker and drone larvae transition to a diet that includes bee bread after a few days. The fermentation process also increases the shelf life of the pollen, allowing the colony to store it for extended periods, particularly when fresh pollen is scarce. This ensures a continuous supply of nutrients for the colony’s sustenance and future generations.