Recycling honey bee drone brood for sustainable beekeeping

TL;DR

This study explores using discarded honey bee drone brood as a nutritious supplement to improve bee health and promote sustainable beekeeping.

Contribution

The study introduces drone brood flour as a novel, sustainable supplement for honey bees with potential antimicrobial benefits.

Findings

Drone brood flour is rich in proteins, fats, and essential minerals needed by honey bees.

It contains elements with antimicrobial properties that may help mitigate varroa mite effects.

Using drone brood flour can improve bee health and support sustainable beekeeping practices.

Abstract

Pollination by insects is vital for global agriculture, with honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) being the most important pollinators. Honey bees are exposed to numerous stressors, including disease, pesticides, and inadequate nutrition, resulting in significant colony losses. This study investigates the use of drone brood to mitigate these problems. Drone brood, which is normally discarded during varroa mite (Varroa destructor, Anderson and Trueman) management, is rich in proteins, fats, and essential minerals. We compared drone brood with an already suggested pollen supplement (Tenebrio [Tenebrio molitor L.] flour). The results indicate that drone brood flour is a viable source of proteins, fats, and minerals and is potentially antimicrobial due to its high content of elements with known antimicrobial properties. It meets the nutritional needs of honey bees while mitigating the effects of varroa mites. The use of drone brood flour can provide high-quality beeswax, surplus of pollen, and improve bee health, which promotes sustainable beekeeping.

Graphical Abstract

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