Nutrition of the honey bee

Abstract

Many plants are excellent sources of nectar and pollen. However, when this food is not available, or short in supply, beekeepers have to supply artificial food to beehives. Nectar and honey are main carbohydrate sources and are used mainly for the production of energy. If there are shortfall suggests substitutes preferably as invert sugars or candies, produced by enzyme hydrolysis. Naturally collected pollen is the best source of protein for honey bee nutritional requirements and the best is collecting pollen from a number of different floral sources. Pollen is the sole source of lipids in the diet of honey bee. Sterols, especially 24-methylene chloresterol, has very important role in honey bee nutrition. Vitamins are required for optimum growth and young adult bees need the vitamin B complex for brood rearing. Water is collected by bees and used primarily as diluents for thick honey. Minerals are required by honey bees and the present elements in bee collected pollen was K, P and S.

Ishrana medonosne pčele je specifična i u uslovima proizvodnje važan činilac uspešnog pčelarenja. Veliki broj autora, istraživao je kompleksnost hraniva i mogućnost njihove adekvatne zamene, kao i različite načine dodavanja. Medonosna pčela sakuplja veliki broj supstanci i to: nektar koji odrasle jedinke skladište u ćelije saća i polen koji predstavlja izvor belančevina masti, vitamina i mineralnih materija. Ukoliko zalihe hrane u košnici nisu dovoljne, pčelama se dodaju različite zamene od kojih su najčešće šećernomedno testo, šećerni sirup obogaćen vitaminima, zamena polena i sl. ali se preko hrane može delovati i na parazite pčela, u prvom redu na varou.