Honey Bees and the Future of Food Security
Honey bees play a crucial role in global food systems. Their pollination efforts help maintain crops, support ecosystems, and boost economies. However, threats such as habitat destruction, pesticide exposure, climate change, and inadequate nutrition have significantly endangered their population over the years.
Beekeepers across the globe have reported alarming losses, raising concerns about the stability of food production as a result. In response to this pressing issue, experts are exploring solutions that extend beyond conventional hive management practices.
Recently, researchers have developed an innovative food source that can sustain honey bee colonies indefinitely, even in the absence of natural pollen.
This groundbreaking research stemmed from collaborations between Washington State University (WSU) and APIX Biosciences NV in Belgium. Trials revealed that colonies experiencing nutritional stress thrived on this specially formulated diet.
A Lifeline for Bees
This new food innovation resembles the artificial diets used for livestock and pets. It contains all essential nutrients needed by honey bees and could serve as a vital strategy against the increasing issue of colony collapse.
As pollinators, bees are critical for global food security. The newly developed food is similar to human “power bars,” which are placed in hives, allowing younger bees to distribute the nutrients to larvae and adult bees.
This directly tackles the longstanding problem of poor nutrition that honey bees face.
The Need for Nutritional Improvement
Shifts in land use, urban sprawl, and extreme weather patterns adversely affect the nutrition available to honey bees and other pollinators.
Brandon Hopkin, a co-author of the study and a distinguished professor of pollinator ecology at WSU, noted, “Honey bees are generalists and cannot rely on a single source for their nutrition. They need a variety of food to survive, but it’s becoming harder for them to find a continuous supply of pollen.”
Patrick Pilkington, CEO of APIX Biosciences US, pointed out the uniqueness of the study, stating that, “Before this research, honey bees were the only livestock unable to thrive on a human-made feed.”
Tests showed that colonies suffering from nutritional deficiencies benefited greatly from this new diet compared to conventional feeding methods.
Creating an Improved Diet for Bees
It took over ten years of research and global collaboration for this project to come to fruition. Thierry Bogaert, the lead author of the study, expressed excitement about the collective effort involved.
“The published results are the culmination of an extensive scientific endeavor involving three research teams,” Bogaert explained. He detailed the contributions from APIX Biosciences, the WSU team, and beekeepers in California who facilitated large-scale testing.
A significant discovery during the research was the nutrient isofucosterol, which is naturally found in pollen and was found to be essential for bee survival.
Understanding Nutritional Needs
The study indicated that not all pollen sterols perform the same role in bee diets. For years, 24-methylenecholesterol was thought to be the most crucial sterol, but experiments revealed that colonies could survive without it, albeit with reduced brood production. On the other hand, the absence of isofucosterol led to severe negative effects, impacting brood growth and neuromuscular functions.
Banning isofucosterol resulted in sluggish movement and coordination issues among the bees, which diminished their ability to forage and care for their young. Colonies lacking this nutrient ultimately collapsed, reinforcing its importance.
The researchers suggest that isofucosterol may play a critical role in maintaining cell membranes and nerve function, hinting at an evolutionary mechanism for its conservation in bees.
Real-World Testing and Results
To validate the diet’s effectiveness, the WSU team tested it in colonies located in blueberry and sunflower fields known for their low pollen quality, which typically stresses colonies. The study found that colonies receiving the comprehensive diet showed improved survival and growth, unlike those on commercial substitutes or those not fed at all.
Interestingly, those on the new diet demonstrated feed efficiency comparable to that of natural pollen. They consumed nearly the same mass of the artificial diet as they would with actual pollen for every capped brood cell produced. This suggests that the new feed could genuinely replace natural pollen rather than merely augment it.
Some beekeepers have even stopped pollinating blueberries because their bees suffer or die, as the pollination fees don’t justify the losses. “Blueberry pollen isn’t nutritious enough for honey bees, which aren’t well adapted to pollinate that crop. But with this new supplementary food, beekeepers could return to pollinating those fields as they would be more confident that their bees would survive,” Hopkin noted.
Preserving Bees and Ensuring Food Security
Annual hive losses remain alarmingly high, making this breakthrough even more urgent. The study demonstrated that colonies fed the complete diet remained robust from spring to autumn, even during transport, high-density storage, and when natural pollen was scarce.
These larger, healthier colonies are better equipped for winter survival, which is crucial in temperate regions.
“We are optimistic that this product will be beneficial for beekeepers and growers when it becomes available in the U.S., which is targeted for mid-2026,” Pilkington shared.
By closing the nutritional gaps, this innovation could transform pollination practices, reduce losses, and fortify the food systems reliant on honey bees.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
