Katherine Burke ’24
Effect of Dietary Protein on Honey Bee Pollen Foraging Behavior
Katherine Burke ’24, Biology major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachael Bonoan, Biology
Bees obtain nutrients from flowers. Pollen provides proteins and fats; nectar provides carbohydrates. Pollen is important for providing essential amino acids which honey bees must obtain from their diet for proper development. Commercial honey bee colonies, however, pollinate monocultures, which contain one crop type thus, one unbalanced nutritional resource. We examined how a lack of protein diversity affects honey bee pollen foraging behavior. Bees were raised on three diet treatments: no manipulation, all 10 essential amino acids (EAAs, i.e., protein building-blocks), or only 6/10 EAAs. Bee-collected pollen was trapped upon return to the hive and nutritional content was analyzed. We predict that bees raised on a diet lacking EAAs will compensate by foraging for pollen higher in nitrogen.
Poster Presentation: Tuesday, April 25, 2 – 4 p.m.
