Honey Bees as Food

Entomophagy of Honey Bees & their Brood

Before managed beekeeping, the comb of wild colonies was collected and consumed whole: brood, honey, pollen and all. Excess wax was discarded; eaten by other animals. When beekeeping arrived the notion of “bees as food” split: in some regions, bees were kept for their wax and honey, instead of hives being hunted and harvested as a whole.

This article covers the latter: the consumption of honey bees, not their products (pollen, propolis, royal jelly, wax and honey). We eat the eggs and larvae, not the adults- the workers have stingers, whereas drones and queens are harder to come by.

Consumption of Apis mellifera Larvae

Drone larvae is easy to eat. After all, it’s commonly removed in integrated pest management for Varroa. Even larvae infested by mites can be eaten with no ill effects (more below).

From the work of Haber and colleagues, we now know that the protein value of brood increases with age- the older the larvae, the higher its protein content (Haber et al., 2019). This is not just because of the increased size, rather the concentration of protein per gram, with the average being worker brood is 20–25% protein.

The authors measured compounds found in larvae through a mass spectrometer and showed that 80% of them are odourless. As such, a powder made from bee brood will have a weaker and less- distinctive odor than say, fishmeal. Further, the authors invited individuals to “taste and categorise” larvae and pupae, with resulting descriptions of “milky, buttery, nutty, floury, musty and mushroom-like” (Haber et al., 2019). The larval taste was described as “caramel-sweet”, with few variations between the sources brood.

Geographical Differences in Taste

The Haber study sourced brood from hives fed on a natural diet, or a combination of forage and sugar syrup. Another study by Evans and colleagues used drone brood from colonies fed on natural forage in Denmark and Norway (Evans et al., 2016). They showed the Danish pupae from the island of Amager had a taste of “walnuts and herbs (grass, herbaceous, celery and green peas)”, whereas the the other locations in Norway were described as more subtle, fatty, and/or bitter.

Is it the geography, biology, or lifecycle stage that influences taste? The authors initially proposed that changes in local forage led to these changes in taste. However, the drones consumed were a few days apart in age – this is not long enough for the flowering plants to change in bloom. Another suggestion is the brood’s diet: drone larvae consumes a lot more pollen. Could it be that the differences in pollen composition produce different tastes?

The authors suggest a need for future research. The variety in brood tastes could be a result of multiple factors like regional beekeeping practices, or environmental makeup (Evans et al., 2016).

Genetics and Larval Texture?

Props to the authors for this far-reaching sentiment: Could the genetic differences between colonies lead to this change in flavour? Consider that colonies in the same apiary forage from different pollen sources despite being a few meters apart. These differences are tied to their hive location and foraging strategy – each scout may find a different source of pollen and nectar within her flight range. So each colony ends with different foods to source its needs, does this mean the subsequent larvae will have different tastes, based on the forage? Questions for Plato.

Bees were Consumed in Prehistoric Times

A review by Crittenden explored how honey and bee larvae supplemented the “cooked meat and omega-3 rich diet” for human brain development (or whatever evolutionary theory is currently in fashion; Crittenden 2011). Honey is an energy-dense carbohydrate-based food. Combined with the protein and fats from bee larvae, it provided early hominids with complete nutrition. We’ve seen from rock art during the Upper Paleolithic region (40,000–8,000 years ago) that honey and bees (including the stingless bees Meliponinae) were hunted by prehistoric tribes from the drawings in Spain, India, Australia, and Southern Africa.

The ancients used digging sticks, hammer stones and stone axes to the sweet substance. Some would have lit bundles of leaves and grasses to smoke bees out, then collect combs (Crittenden 2011). Nowadays, we house bees in boxed hives, with or without frames. When it’s harvest time, the bees are smoked and the frames removed, or the comb is snapped off entirely, leaving a few rows behind for the bees to reestablish themselves, as in some Asian beekeeping strategies.

Honey Hunting as a Cooperation Between Man and Wild Birds

Adapted from honey bee predators

The Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) is a wild bird sharing a mutualistic relationship with humans, whereby they lead hunters to beehives (Spottiswoode et al., 2016). The hunters consume honey and brood, while the bird eats wax, larvae, and (sometimes) adult bees.

The bird flies from tree to tree with agitated chattery, “piping” calls in the direction of the bees’ nest until its human followers finds it. Guiders are generally juveniles or sub-adults (“teenagers”) birds. In the aforementioned study, a specific call by the Yao people of Mozambique (“Brr-hmmm”) greatly increased the chances of attracting a honeyguide leading them to these bees in trees.

Nutrient Composition of Bee Brood

In short, all stages of the worker bees are good sources of nutrition due to their high protein content (35.3% to 51% as larvae progress to adulthood), balanced fatty acids, and trace mineral profile. The table below from Finke (2005) goes in depth into the nutritional values per 100 grams from a sample of A. m. ligustica brood.

Apis cerana is the ideal species for bee brood consumption, on account of swarming more frequently and building smaller hives. Less resources are devoted to honey making, and more to brood rearing, making them a more accessible source of brood for consumption. A YouTube search will show how brood comb is harvested and eaten whole around the world. The stills in this article are from Cambodia, showing how bee brood is consumed in the field, or purchased from markets.

Who Should Not be Eating Bees?

As is the case with other edible insects, those with shellfish allergies should avoid eating insects due to the relatedness of the bees’ chitin and tropomyosin proteins to that of shellfish. Allergic reactions have been noted following insect consumption or exposure, in silkworms, grasshoppers and crickets, amongst others (reviewed in Liceaga, 2022). Chitin is part of the bee exoskeleton. Tropomyosin is a protein present in the muscles of in all animals. It triggers shellfish allergies since crustaceans and insects are both invertebrates, sharing a common ancestry and hence a similar tropomyosin amino acid composition (Pali-Schöll et al., 2019).

Harvesting Honey Bees: Tropical Environments Lack Brood Breaks

Sub-Saharan & East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the central regions of Latin America¹ are ideal locations for raising honey bees as food. These regions are largely tropical with frequent flowering plants. This overcomes the a major barrier to sourcing brood (and insect farming in general)- climate. A lack of cold weather (and winters in general) means there is no brood break, and colonies are farmed year-round.

In southeast Asia, this is made easier by the variety of honey bee species, not just A. mellifera. Wild colonies of A. florea and A. dorsata are harvested and sold in Thailand and Cambodia, on account of their open-nesting nature and smaller size (A. florea).

Honey Bees and Insects in Thai Cuisine

In Thailand, the Apis species have a history of large-scale honey bee consumption. Take a walk through the local markets. You’ll find stalls selling bee brood, along with other insects like ants, Bombay locus (Patanga succincta) scarab beetles (Family Scarabaeidae), and giant water bugs (Lethocerus indicus). There also snails, centipedes, and millipedes. For those after an academic citation, here’s Chen et al., (1998).

Insects make up 80% of the edible invertebrates in northeastern Thailand. Historically, insects as food was for the “poor people”, and the belief continues today. Those living in cities tend to eat less insects (on account of having food delivered and displayed at supermarkets), compared to those in rural areas, who could farm or catch it themselves.

Whole Nests for Sale – A. florea & A. dorsata

Apis florea, the dwarf honey bee, builds exposed comb. Unlike its giant cousin Apis dorsata, these are the smallest honey bee species, and would abandon their nests instead of defending it. The fleeing colony starts building anew, and beekeepers (or rather, “bee hunters”) would harvest the now-abandoned comb to sell at markets. Chen & colleagues estimate that in the north-central province of Nakhonsawan, an average of 10 nests of A. florea are sold per stand, per day for around $2-4 USD (Perhaps up to $10 USD in today’s prices; Chen et al., 1998).

“We estimate that bee hunters collect 15,000 to 20,000 nests of A. florea per year to sell only in this one market and 40,000 to 50,000 nests throughout the country“. Recall that A. dorsata is a migratory bee species. When they migrate, their comb is left behind, and nests are left behind. 10% of market sales come from this giant species, with comb from A. dorsata being sold by weight and at a higher price.

Honey Bees as a Food Supplement

Much like how insect “flours” (ground insects) are added to chips, pastas and other formulations, Mekuria and colleagues looked at adding bee brood powder to complementary foods fed to infants (Mekuria et al., 2021). A combination of teff (endemic African grain), maize, soybean, and A. mellifera larva was compared against commercial weaning products, and the brood mixture provided a superior protein profile (12.56g /100g compared to 10.78g/100g), along with greater fat and energy content.

Protein is important for developing infants (and everyone else), making larval supplement a positive additive to infant nutrition. The micronutrient density of bee-supplemented formulations was again superior to the commercial mixes (Mekuria et al., 2021). Mineral iron and calcium content were greater, along with the B-vitamins. Most importantly, the bioavailability (how well the minerals were utilised by the body) of the mixtures in terms of iron, zinc and calcium were greater than commercial products.

This study was conducted in Kenya, an area where infant food formulations are not always available. The authors conclude that bee larvae has potential in the development of better complementary foods to enhance the otherwise plant-based protein sources in many parts of the developing world (Mekuria et al., 2021).

Drone Brood Homogenate

A paper by Sawczuk and colleagues described drone brood as a food supplement, and encouraged beekeepers to eat, rather than discard it² (Sawczuk et al., 2019). They provide evidence of the androgenic (but not anabolic) activity of drone brood in castrated male rats, its favourable outcomes on male boar semen production, and positive stimulation to the animal hormonal system. They extend these views to humans, and how mixtures are used in folk/traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-aging, anti-tumour and other anti-somethings.

Drone brood homogenate resembles royal jelly in composition. It is easier to obtain than the latter, and is currently sold as a nutritional additive in the Eastern European brand “Apilarnil”. It has a milky appearance with a creamy consistency; the colour varies from pale grey, white to a light yellow. The taste is reported as “sweet and slightly acidic”, with similar smells to royal jelly. In it is pure form, homogenate is stored frozen. To keep at room temperature, combine it with honey in mixture of 1.5% homogenate to 98.5% honey. Such mixtures remain viable for up to 6 months (Sawczuk et al., 2019 citing Kedzia and Holderna-Kedzia, 2015)

Varroa has Minor Impacts on Drone Homogenate Composition

Considering that drone comb is targeted by Varroa mites, a beekeeper may assume that consuming Varroa-infected combs would be harmful or not-as-beneficial as uninfested comb. Research showed that Varroa had no nutritional impact on drone larvae (Jonas-Levi et al., 2015). The authors examined capped drone brood at all stages between 9–21 days and found that in infested colonies, the brood weight was slightly decreased (average 118mg to 124mg in uninfested cells), and increased immune protein expression and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity.

The dried brood was unimpacted in terms of weight, total fat and protein levels, so the the overall quality of Varroa-infested homogenate is unaffected, and is effective for use in further processing.

Overcoming Taboos on Human Consumption of Bee Larvae

Since honey bees are associated with familiar activities like honey production and pollination, they have a general “positive” view by public. In theory, this should make marketing and eating honey bees easier than crickets or mealworms. In reality, the public only see the larvae, and think “icky worms”, followed by cries of “SAVE THE BEES!”… as if honey bees are the ones that need saving.

No matter, they are a more promising insect-as-food candidate to Western audiences than the standard insects. Perhaps adding powdered larvae to other flours (as in chips and pastas) will be viewed more favourably (“now with 10% bees”). Perhaps people can change their mind after eating a whole comb, or perhaps we should stick with mass rearing of crickets and mealworms, and continue eating bee products, not the bees.

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Footnotes

1. Perhaps brood rearing in South America is not a good idea, on account of the spread of Africanised honey bees. Imagine trying to harvest brood from AHB colonies… ↩︎
2. The mash is prepared from drone larvae 10-12 days (first few days after capping, as the internal organs of the larva are dissolved [part of the process in generating an adult bee]). The resulting pupa is shell of liquid stem cells and hormones, which are assumed to be the source of health benefits. Serve this mixture with bread and honey, or eat spoonfuls! ↩︎