Man-made nutritional mix improves bee colony health and could reduce colony collapse in commercial pollinators
Healthier bees can help increase crop yields by improving pollination efficiency.
Scientists have developed a new food source capable of sustaining bee colonies indefinitely without the need for natural pollen.
The study, published April 16 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a collaboration between Washington State University and APIX Biosciences NV in Belgium, reports that nutrient-deficient bee colonies used for commercial pollination in Washington State thrived when fed the new diet.
The nutritional problems of pollinators
The new food addresses one of the biggest challenges facing bees: a lack of nutritious, high-quality food in their environment.
“Land use changes, urban sprawl and extreme weather conditions are disrupting the diets of bees and other pollinators,” said Brandon Hopkins. “Bees are omnivores and do not get all their nutrition from one source. They need a variety of foods to survive, but struggle to find the consistent pollen supply needed to maintain a colony.”
Global collaboration made this possible
Dr. Patrick Pilkington, CEO of APIX Biosciences in the US, stressed the importance of the development: “Until this study, bees were the only creatures that could not be raised on a man-made diet,” said Pilkington. “The scientific work demonstrates under commercial field conditions that when at-risk colonies are fed our blend, there is a significant, measurable change in colony health compared to current best practices. Our product has the potential to change the way bees are cared for.”
Critical discovery in nutrition: Isofucosterol
This study, the result of a decade of work, revealed the vital role of isofucosterol – a molecule naturally found in pollen that serves as a key nutrient for bees. Colonies fed a mixture enriched with isofucosterol survived an entire season without access to pollen, while colonies without the molecule experienced severe declines, including reduced larval production, adult paralysis and even colony collapse.
Field trials show impressive results
Field trials in blueberry and sunflower fields, known for their lack of quality pollen, showed that colonies fed the new food survived and grew significantly compared to colonies that received a standard commercial diet or were not supplemented at all.
“Some beekeepers already avoid pollinating blueberries because colonies suffer or die and the fee for pollination does not cover the losses,” Hopkins said. “Blueberry pollen is detrimental to bee health, but with this supplemental food source, beekeepers may return to those fields knowing that their bees are likely to survive.”
Reports of high, crisis-level annual mortality rates underscore the urgency of this development.
Pilkington expressed optimism about the product’s impact: “We are confident that the product will have a positive impact on beekeepers and farmers when it becomes available in the U.S. in mid-2026,” he said. “In the meantime, we are working with WSU and the beekeeping community across the U.S. to develop the best way to use this new tool in agricultural environments.”
More of the topic in Hayadan:
2 תגובות
This is exactly what we needed, you saved them, a country of fools, they feed on flowers, what's important now?
This is exactly what we needed, you saved us, stupid country.