they’re bees?? you beekeep??? can you finally answer the age-old question of “do bees eat anything other than honey”
Tumblr tell me when I get asks challenge 2k21
Yes they are bees! And I used to beekeep as part of my grad school research but I moved home last fall so I don't know when I'll get to have colonies again.
SO you have asked me the PERFECT QUESTION, this is like half my thesis. Bees do not just eat honey - it's just sugar and carbohydrates! They need protein! Bees also eat pollen! Honey bees will collect pollen in "pollen baskets" on their hind legs and bring it back in the colony, where it is stored in comb cells with a bit of nectar as "bee bread". (The microbiome of beneficial bacteria and fungi in bee bread is the focus of my thesis). Bees will then eat the pollen and produce a jelly-like protein-rich food from their glands to feed to the developing larvae and developing queens (queens only when needed).
A longer answer than you asked for for sure but thank you for asking!