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Healthy bees, healthy planet: the effect of a balanced diet on honey bee colonies

New research has revealed that a balanced diet is essential to the health and performance of honey bees' tasks. The study shows that an unbalanced diet significantly delays the start of treatment for larvae, reduces the frequency of treatment and changes the treatment of larvae

A new study from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem revealed that a balanced diet is essential for the health and optimal performance of the tasks of honey bees, a key species for pollination and ecosystem stability. The research, led by Prof. Sharoni Shapir from the Robert H. Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Smith, examines how honeybees balance their nutritional intake in order to maintain homeostasis (a balanced state) and improve fitness. The findings indicate that an unbalanced diet with a high ratio of omega-6:3 (5:1) significantly affects the bees' ability to treat larvae, delays the start of treatment, reduces the frequency of treatment visits and changes the attention given to larvae of different ages.

To test these effects, day-old adult workers were fed a balanced or unbalanced diet for seven days. The bees were then released into a hive in an experimental garden, marked with barcodes and photographed continuously for six days. The analysis revealed that those fed an unbalanced diet displayed inhibited grooming behavior and reduced efficiency in handling larvae, especially in distinguishing between three-day-old and four-day-old larvae.

"A balanced diet is essential for honey bee colonies, and affects not only individual health but also the overall efficiency and survival of the hive," said Prof. Shapir. "Our research highlights the importance of maintaining a balanced omega-6:3 ratio in the diet of honey bees to ensure they can perform their vital functions within the colony effectively."

The implications of the research are wide-ranging, especially in cultivated areas where the availability of nutritionally balanced powdered sources may be limited. The shift to a higher ratio of omega-6:3 in these areas may pose a significant threat to bee populations, affecting their health, cognitive abilities and their ability to sustain their colonies. "This research opens up new avenues for further research linking behaviors related to fitness to nutritional balance in honey bees," added Prof. Shapir. "It also highlights the need for conservation efforts to ensure the availability of diverse and nutritionally balanced pollen sources for these vital pollinators."

The research aligns with broader findings in other species, where nutritional imbalances are known to affect survival, reproductive success and offspring health. He calls for increased awareness and the taking of measures to support the nutritional needs of honey bees, which are essential to maintaining their populations and the vital pollination services they provide.

The research paper titled “An imbalanced dietary omega-6:3 ratio affects grooming initiation and grooming behaviors in honey bee, Apis mellifera larvae” is now available in Animal Behavior and can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j. anbehav.2024.05.007.

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