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Bee pollen

Bees depend on honey for their carbohydrate food component and pollen for their protein requirements. Typically, these items are collected and later made available to the bee colony during periods of short supply. The food and dietetic product market is being supplied inter alia with increasing quantities of bee products, particularly honey. Other bee products are blossom pollen, blossom pollen dissolved in honey, propolis or bee bread and mixtures of these bee products which are distinguished by very good dietetic and health-giving properties. The significance of honey and other bee products as a food, stimulant and curative is primarily attributable to their content of readily absorbed carbohydrates, enzymes, appetite-stimulating aromatic substances and not least to mineral constituents and trace elements which occur in bee product. Pollen which is the male sex cell of flowers is also the honey bees source of fat and protein. Pollen is especially important for broodrearing since bees require an ample supply of pollen to produce young bees. Pollen also comprises an important part of the diet of both larvae and adult bees and supplies them with minerals, lipids, vitamins, proteins (amino acids).

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