Glossary
The dietary requirements of honey bee colonies, which need carbohydrates (nectar/honey for energy), proteins (pollen for growth, brood rearing, and gland function), lipids (pollen fats for cell membranes), vitamins, and minerals for proper health, reproduction, and immune function.
Nectar (processed into honey) provides the carbohydrates that power every activity in the colony: foraging flight (the most energy-intensive activity), thermogenesis (heating the brood nest), wax production, and basic metabolism. A strong colony consumes 200 to 300 pounds of honey per year, the vast majority fueling the colony's own metabolic needs. The surplus, a relatively small fraction, is what beekeepers harvest.
Pollen is the bees' sole natural source of protein, providing all essential amino acids needed for larval growth, nurse bee gland development (hypopharyngeal glands produce royal jelly and brood food), wax gland function, immune system maintenance, and longevity. A colony needs approximately 40 to 60 pounds of pollen per year. When pollen is scarce (during dearths or in monoculture agricultural areas with limited flora diversity), brood production slows, colony growth stalls, and immune function compromises.
Research has consistently demonstrated that well-nourished colonies have lower disease and parasite loads. Bees consuming diverse, quality pollen have stronger immune responses, better ability to resist varroa-transmitted viruses, and longer individual lifespans. Nutritional stress (from insufficient pollen, poor pollen quality, or excessive pesticide exposure in pollen) weakens the colony's ability to fight pathogens and parasites, creating a downward spiral.
When natural forage is insufficient, beekeepers provide sugar syrup (1:1 sugar-to-water ratio in spring for stimulation, 2:1 in fall for winter stores) as a carbohydrate substitute and pollen substitute patties (soy flour, brewer's yeast, or commercial formulations) as a protein source. These supplements sustain colonies through dearths but are nutritionally inferior to natural nectar and pollen.
Yes. Bees require water for evaporative cooling, brood food dilution, and metabolic needs. A strong colony in hot weather may consume over a quart daily. Providing a clean water source near the hives prevents bees from foraging at neighbors' pools and pet bowls.
Yes. White cane sugar dissolved in water (1:1 ratio for spring feeding, 2:1 for fall) is the standard emergency and supplemental carbohydrate source for honey bees. It lacks the trace nutrients of natural nectar but provides adequate energy. Never feed brown sugar, molasses, or high-fructose corn syrup (which may contain HMF at harmful levels).
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