Pollen Diet—Properties and Impact on a Bee Colony

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In order to study the effects of malnutrition in bees, attention should be drawn to the dietary composition. A pollen diet plays an important role in the life of bees. A well-balanced diet influences the development of the larvae as well as the physiology, biochemistry, immunity and histology of the workers. ABSTRACT: Diet is an important factor in the proper development of the individual and the entire colony. A pollen diet affects honey bees in a number of ways. It can stimulate the number and type of hemocytes, the total number of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, affect the histology of the middle intestine, and ensure the correct ontogenesis of the larvae. Moreover, selected single-flower diets can stimulate the development of the pharyngeal glands that produce royal jelly, thus conditioning the development of secretory immunity. Selected single-species pollen may also increase the phenol oxidase concentration, which contributes to the humoral response. A honey bee diet based on multi-flower pollen is more desirable than a mono-flower diet, but must be properly balanced.