Special Entomology Seminar
Ambrosia and Royal Jelly: How Bees Meet Their Nutritional Needs
Join us for a special seminar on Monday, June 4, at noon.
It is hosted at the Tim Lawrence and Sue Cobey at the Mount Vernon Research & Extension Center. Those in Pullman are welcome to join the Entomology Department in FSHN 354 (Entomology Classroom). Non Pullman sites can contact AMS@wsu.edu to have your site included to receive this seminar. The AMS dial # is 774756.
Bees feed on floral pollen as a source of protein, fat and micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and sterols. In this talk, Dr. Wright will describe the chemical nature of pollen collected from across the UK. She will show how bees refine the chemical nature of their food starting with pollen, then bee bread and finally how bee bread is converted to royal jelly. She will also report data from experiments designed to test how honeybees regulate their intake of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to show how bees optimize their intake of essential macronutrients. In addition, Dr. Wright will discuss the nutritional value of commercially-available pollen substitutes and how they compare to the nutrition rendered by feeding bees with pollen. The implications of the work for bee husbandry and land management to optimize bee nutrition will also be discussed.
Dr. Geraldine Wright is a Professor of Insect Neuroethology in the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University (UK). Her research is focused on chemical sensation and nutritional regulation in honey bees and bumble bees. Notable research from her group includes the discovery that some toxic compounds that can be found in nectar are hard for bees to detect. Some compounds, like caffeine and neonicotinoid pesticides, cause bees to learn to prefer foods containing them. Her current research has shown bees have specific optima for macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
To learn more about Dr. Wright’s research go to: https://www.dadant.com/bees-get-a-buzz-from-caffeine/ https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/staff/profile/jeriwright.html#background
