1. Honey Bee Nutrition
- Author
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Jennifer M. Tsuruda, Priyadarshini Chakrabarti, and Ramesh R. Sagili
- Subjects
Forage (honey bee) ,business.industry ,Foraging ,Nutritional Status ,General Medicine ,Honey bee ,Bees ,Biology ,Diet ,Honey Bees ,Food Animals ,Agronomy ,Optimal nutrition ,Dietary Supplements ,Animals ,Livestock ,business ,Cropping - Abstract
Optimal nutrition is crucial for honey bee colony growth and robust immune systems. Honey bee nutrition is complex and depends on the floral composition of the landscape. Foraging behavior of honey bees depends on both colony environment and external environment. There are significant gaps in knowledge regarding honey bee nutrition, and hence no optimal diet is available for honey bees, as there is for other livestock. In this review, we discuss (1) foraging behavior of honey bees, (2) nutritional needs, (3) nutritional supplements used by beekeepers, (4) probiotics, and (5) supplemental forage and efforts integrating floral diversity into cropping systems.
- Published
- 2021