Researchers studied how honey bee colonies feed their developing babies and found big differences in what they’re fed. Baby bees eat a special jelly made by adult worker bees, kind of like how mammals produce milk. Scientists looked at this jelly from many different colonies and discovered that the amount and type of nutrients in the jelly varies quite a bit—both within the same hive and between different hives. This is important because it helps us understand how bee colonies work and why some colonies might be healthier or stronger than others. The findings could eventually help beekeepers keep their colonies healthier.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How much nutrition baby bees receive and whether the nutrition changes between different bee colonies
  • Who participated: Multiple Apis mellifera (Western honey bee) colonies; researchers collected samples of the special jelly fed to developing female worker bee larvae from individual cells in the honeycomb
  • Key finding: The nutrition in the jelly that feeds baby bees varies significantly—both within a single colony and especially between different colonies. Protein content showed the biggest differences between colonies.
  • What it means for you: This research helps beekeepers and scientists understand that bee colonies naturally feed their babies differently, which may affect how healthy and strong the colony becomes. However, this is basic science research, not a direct recommendation for personal action.

The Research Details

Scientists collected samples of ‘worker jelly’—a special nutritious substance that adult worker bees produce to feed developing larvae—from individual honeycomb cells across multiple colonies. They analyzed the jelly to measure how much total nutrition it contained and what types of nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) were present. This is similar to how a doctor might test breast milk from different mothers to see if the nutrition varies. The researchers looked at both variation within single colonies (comparing different cells in the same hive) and variation between colonies (comparing one hive to another). They also checked whether colonies that were more defensive or aggressive had different jelly composition, since aggression is linked to how bees forage for food.

Understanding how bee colonies naturally vary in feeding their offspring is important for understanding how bee colonies evolved and how they survive. Since baby bees depend entirely on this jelly for nutrition, differences in its quality could affect how healthy the colony becomes. This research also helps scientists understand whether patterns seen in mammals (like variation in milk) are common across all animal species.

This study was published in PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, meaning other scientists reviewed the work before publication. The researchers conducted one of the largest studies of its kind on this topic, examining many colonies to capture natural variation. However, the specific number of colonies and samples examined is not provided in the abstract, which would be helpful for assessing the study’s scope.

What the Results Show

The researchers found that the special jelly fed to baby bees varies noticeably in both the total amount and the types of nutrients it contains. Importantly, there was more variation between different colonies than within a single colony—meaning that comparing one hive to another showed bigger differences than comparing different cells within the same hive. This pattern was especially strong for protein content, suggesting that colonies differ significantly in how much protein they put into the jelly. The variation appears to be a natural part of how colonies operate, not a sign of something wrong.

The researchers also investigated whether colonies that showed more defensive or aggressive behavior had different jelly composition. Aggression in bees is connected to how hard they work to find food and how well their larvae develop. However, the study found no clear relationship between a colony’s aggression level and the nutrition in its worker jelly, suggesting that other factors besides aggression influence jelly composition.

Very few previous studies have looked at the nutrition in worker bee jelly, and even fewer have examined multiple colonies to understand natural variation. Most research on bee nutrition has focused on royal jelly (which feeds future queen bees) rather than worker jelly. This study fills an important gap by providing one of the most comprehensive looks at how worker bee larvae are fed across different colonies.

The study does not specify the exact number of colonies examined or the total number of samples collected, making it difficult to fully assess how broadly these findings apply. The research focuses only on Western honey bees, so the findings may not apply to other bee species. Additionally, the study measured jelly composition at one point in time, so it’s unclear whether these differences change throughout the season or year.

The Bottom Line

This is foundational research that helps scientists understand bee biology better. There are no direct health recommendations for people based on this study. However, beekeepers may eventually use this knowledge to better understand colony health and nutrition. The findings suggest that variation in larval nutrition is normal and natural in bee colonies.

Beekeepers, bee researchers, and scientists studying animal nutrition and evolution should find this research valuable. People interested in bee health and colony management may also benefit from understanding these findings. This research is not directly applicable to human nutrition or health decisions.

This is basic science research aimed at understanding how bee colonies work. It does not propose interventions with expected timelines for benefits. Future research may eventually lead to practical applications for beekeeping, but that would require additional studies.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Not applicable—this research does not involve human nutrition or health tracking. However, beekeeping apps could potentially track colony jelly composition over time if beekeepers begin testing their hives.
  • Not applicable to general users. Beekeepers might use this information to monitor their colonies’ nutritional health, but specific tracking methods would require additional research and development.
  • Not applicable to personal health apps. This research is relevant to scientific monitoring of bee colonies rather than human health monitoring.

This research describes how honey bee colonies feed their developing larvae and does not involve human subjects or direct health applications. The findings are relevant to bee biology and beekeeping but should not be interpreted as health advice for people. Anyone with questions about bee health or beekeeping should consult with a local beekeeper association or agricultural extension service. This study is basic science research and does not propose medical treatments or interventions.