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Do bumble bees make optimal nutritional choices?
Etya Amsalem1, Anna Cressman1, Seyed Ali Modarres Hasani1
1Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, University Park, PA, USA.
Journal of Insect Physiology
|May 22, 2025
Summary
Bees may not make optimal nutritional choices, as increased consumption of protein or sugar diets did not improve bumble bee fitness. Their dietary decisions might reflect the best possible outcome in challenging nutritional environments.
Area of Science:
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Nutrition
- Pollinator Health
Background:
- Bee nutrition is vital for health, survival, and pollination services.
- Nutritional stress, worsened by climate change and pesticides, contributes to bee declines.
- Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are key pollinators, but their ability to optimize diet for fitness is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if bumble bees make optimal dietary choices for improved fitness.
- To analyze the impact of varying protein, lipid, and carbohydrate compositions on bee consumption, body mass, egg laying, and ovarian activation.
- To assess the reliability of diet consumption as an indicator of bee nutritional status and well-being.
Main Methods:
- Bumble bees were offered diets with different macronutrient compositions (protein, lipid, carbohydrates).
- Consumption of pollen and nectar was measured.
- Body mass, egg laying rates, and ovarian activation were assessed to determine fitness outcomes.
Main Results:
- Bees overconsumed pollen on protein-rich diets and underconsumed it on lipid- or glucose-rich diets.
- Nectar consumption increased on low-sucrose diets.
- Higher consumption of protein- and sugar-enriched diets correlated with decreased body mass and egg laying, not improved fitness.
Conclusions:
- Bumble bee consumption patterns do not necessarily lead to improved fitness, questioning their ability to make optimal nutritional choices.
- Ovarian activation may not be a sensitive indicator of diet quality in bumble bees.
- Findings suggest bees may face unavoidable trade-offs, making the best of limited nutritional options, and inform bee management and bioassay interpretations.
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