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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 18, 2025

Collection and Identification of Pollen from Honey Bee Colonies

Collection and Identification of Pollen from Honey Bee Colonies

Published on: January 19, 2021

Pollen Source Affects Development and Behavioral Preferences in Honey Bees.

Jun Lan¹, Guiling Ding², Weihua Ma¹

¹College of Animal Science, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.

|February 5, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) prefer apricot pollen over pear pollen due to its nutritional benefits. Apricot pollen consumption leads to better hypopharyngeal gland development in bees, influencing their foraging choices.

Keywords:

Apis mellifera apricot pollen hypopharyngeal gland ovarian development pear pollen

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Area of Science:

Entomology
Animal Nutrition
Plant Science

Background:

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) encounter diverse pollen sources during simultaneous blooms.
Pollen serves as a crucial reward for honey bee workers, influencing their foraging behavior.
Understanding differential pollen value is key to comprehending honey bee colony health and foraging strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the nutritional value and digestibility of pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) and apricot (Armeniaca sibirica) pollen.
To investigate the impact of these pollen diets on honey bee worker physiology, specifically hypopharyngeal gland and ovarian development.
To determine honey bee foraging preferences between pear and apricot pollen.

Main Methods:

Choice-test experiments were conducted with caged Apis mellifera workers to assess pollen preference and consumption.
Pollen extraction efficiency was measured for both pear and apricot pollen diets.
Physiological parameters, including hypopharyngeal gland size and ovarian development, were compared between bees fed different pollen diets.

Main Results:

Apis mellifera workers showed a significant preference for apricot pollen over pear pollen in both landing counts and consumption rates.
Pollen extraction efficiencies were comparable between pear and apricot pollen diets.
While ovarian development was similar, bees fed apricot pollen exhibited significantly larger hypopharyngeal glands compared to those fed pear pollen.

Conclusions:

Nutritional differences, particularly those affecting hypopharyngeal gland development, likely drive honey bee foraging preferences between apricot and pear pollen.
The study highlights how pollen's intrinsic rewards influence worker physiology and, consequently, foraging decisions.
Findings contribute to understanding the ecological dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions and honey bee nutrition.