Importance of Nutrition in a Bee Colony

As with all living creatures, good nutrition is essential for a healthy bee colony. Many beekeepers focus mainly on the amount of liquid stores (honey/nectar reserves). However, pollen is just as important, yet it’s often overlooked.

• Low liquid stores can lead to starvation in both summer and winter.
• Low pollen availability can have longer-lasting effects, because larvae need proper nutrition to develop well. Poorly nourished larvae can grow into weak, underperforming, or unhealthy adult bees—sometimes for weeks or months.

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“Reading” a Colony” During Inspections

A key part of beekeeping is learning to “read” what the colony is telling you.

During each inspection, make it a habit to look into a few cells containing freshly hatched larvae—about 4–5 days after egg laying. What you see can reveal whether the colony has enough nutrition coming in:

• If the colony has plenty of incoming food, larvae will be surrounded by a large puddle of brood food.
• If incoming food is limited, the cell bottoms may appear almost dry.

If this kind of observation were taught more widely, new beekeepers would learn faster and with more confidence.

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What Pollen Color Can Tell You

Pollen quality varies depending on the plant source. In general, colonies do best when they receive a wide variety of pollen types, because diversity supports healthier nutrition.

When inspecting, take note of the color of the pollen:

• More variation in color = more variety of forage sources.
• Sometimes, even within the same apiary on the same day:
  • some colonies may show mostly one pollen color (suggesting the bees are “locked on” to one source),
  • while others show a mix of colors (suggesting access to multiple sources).

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Poor Nutrition Isn’t Always About Forage

Low nutrition doesn’t always mean the colony lacks pollen and nectar in the landscape. Sometimes the real issue is internal:

• the ratio of nurse bees to larvae may be too low
  • for example, during spring buildup
• a nucleus (nuc) formed with an imbalance of bees may struggle to produce enough brood food

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What Happens When Nutrition Is Poor

Colonies that don’t get adequate nutrition become more vulnerable to disease, including:

• chalk brood
• European Foul Brood (EFB)

These problems are often more common in spring, when the colony may not have enough nurse bees available to properly feed larvae.

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Recommended Resources

1) “Fat Bees Skinny Bees”

• A downloadable publication and practical guide on bee nutrition
• Written by Doug Somerville for Australia’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)

2) “Honey Bee Nutrition and Supplementary Feeding”

• A downloadable Australian leaflet
• Written by Doug Somerville, published by the New South Wales Department of Agriculture
• The introduction states it provides an overview of:
  • honey bee nutritional requirements
  • the role of different carbohydrate and protein supplements
• For Australia (with the right context), it’s described as clear and very useful

There’s plenty more available on the internet. The key is to:

• read broadly,
• then apply the information to your local conditions.