Honey bee larval nutrition shows significant variation among colonies

Researchers have identified significant variation in the nutritional content of worker jelly provided to female worker larvae in Apis mellifera colonies. A study conducted at the University of Kentucky found that both the total quantity and the macronutrient content of these secretions vary significantly both within individual colonies and among different colonies. This variation was most pronounced in protein levels.

The study investigated these patterns to better understand offspring provisioning strategies and bee foraging ecology. While researchers looked for a correlation between worker jelly composition and colony defensive aggression, no such relationship was observed.