Supplementary feeding with pollen substitutes as a method of increasing the strength and productivity of honeybee colonys – a reviev

The main natural sources of nutrients for honey bees are nectar and pollen, which they process into honey and bee bread, respectively. Pollen and bee bread are natural sources of protein, which is necessary for the survival of the bee colony. In the absence of protein sources, egg laying by the queen decreases, brood rearing almost ceases. If dearth periods continue for a long time, worker bees may even stop visiting unsealed brood and throw immature larval stages out of the hives. Also, due to the weakening of bee colonies, they become more vulnerable and can be attacked by various pests and the proliferation of pathogens. Feeding bees with pollen substitutes during dearth periods is an effective tool for influencing growth intensity, colony strength, and other parameters. Timely support of bees during hungry periods ensures the increase of strength of families for intensive honey collection and pollination in the next honey collection period. Scientists are experimentally looking for the possibility of effective use of various feeds and feed products for bees and ways of feeding them during non-pollination periods. Many different feeds and feed products have been studied as pollen substitutes separately and in various combinations. In particular, the possibility of using such feeds as soy flour, soy peptone, brewer's or baker's yeast, wheat gluten, lentil flour, peas, black gram, skimmed milk powder, egg powder, casein, rice bran, fenugreek powder, and others was investigated. Research conducted by numerous scientists has shown that the use of pollen substitutes has different effects on the growth rates of bee colonies and their productivity. Given the wide range of additives that have already been studied as pollen substitutes and shown their effectiveness, the search for feed products should be continued, taking into account their availability for beekeepers, manufacturability, and economic feasibility of their use. In particular, it is worth focusing on finding protein feeds and feed additives produced by the industry that are effectively and safely used in other branches of animal husbandry and the food industry.