How Do Bees Make Royal Jelly?
Q: How do bees make royal jelly?
A: Royal jelly is produced by nurse bees from glands in their heads. It is a thick, protein-rich substance secreted from the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands and fed to all larvae for the first three days of life. Larvae chosen to become queens continue receiving only royal jelly, which triggers their development into fertile, fully developed queens.
What Is Royal Jelly?
Royal jelly is a milky-white, gel-like secretion made by young worker bees (usually 5–15 days old). It plays a key role in the hive’s caste system by enabling the transformation of ordinary larvae into queens.
Chemically, it contains:
- 60–70% water
- 12–15% proteins
- 10–15% sugars (mainly glucose and fructose)
- 3–6% lipids
- Trace vitamins (B-complex, especially B5 and B6), minerals, and amino acids
- Antibacterial and antifungal properties
Why Do Bees Make Royal Jelly?
Bees produce royal jelly for larval nutrition and queen development.
| Role | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Feed all larvae | First 3 days of every larva’s life |
| Develop queen bees | Exclusive diet of royal jelly triggers reproductive and morphological changes |
| Immune support | Contains antimicrobial peptides to protect developing brood |
Royal Jelly is not stored in comb like honey or pollen. It is made fresh as needed.
Which Bees Make Royal Jelly?
Royal jelly is produced by nurse bees — young worker bees that care for brood inside the hive.
| Bee Age | Role |
|---|---|
| 5–15 days | Nurse bees with active head glands produce royal jelly |
| 16+ days | Transition to other hive duties (wax making, guarding, foraging) |
After this period, the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands shrink, and the bee shifts to other tasks.
Glands Involved in Royal Jelly Production
Two glands are responsible:
| Gland | Location | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Hypopharyngeal glands | Inside the bee’s head | Produce protein-rich white jelly |
| Mandibular glands | Near the jaw | Add fatty acids, antimicrobial compounds |
These secretions are combined in the bee’s mouth to form royal jelly.
Step-by-Step: How Is Royal Jelly Made and Used?
1. Nurse Bee Eats Pollen and Honey
Nurse bees consume large amounts of pollen (for protein) and honey (for energy). These nutrients are converted internally to support glandular activity.
2. Secretion from Head Glands
The hypopharyngeal glands secrete a milky white substance, rich in proteins and sugars. Mandibular glands contribute lipids and antibacterial properties.
3. Feeding Larvae
The nurse bee places royal jelly directly into open brood cells.
- All bee larvae receive royal jelly for the first three days.
- Larvae chosen to become queens receive only royal jelly for their entire development.
4. Queen Cell Provisioning
In queen cells, nurse bees flood the cell with a large volume of royal jelly.
This diet causes:
- Enlargement of ovaries
- Full reproductive capability
- Longer lifespan
- Unique queen morphology
Worker and drone larvae are switched to a pollen-honey mixture (bee bread) after day 3.
How Does Royal Jelly Influence Queen Development?
Royal jelly contains epigenetic triggers that influence larval gene expression. One key substance is royalactin, which:
- Activates the queen-development pathway
- Suppresses the worker-bee phenotype
- Encourages full reproductive organ development
This shows that nutrition, not genetics, determines whether a bee becomes a queen or a worker.
Royal Jelly in the Hive
Key Differences: Royal Jelly vs Bee Bread vs Honey
| Feature | Royal Jelly | Bee Bread | Honey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made from | Glandular secretion | Pollen + honey, fermented | Nectar, enzyme-processed |
| Function | Feed larvae, queen development | Feed worker/drone larvae | Energy storage |
| Production site | Nurse bees’ heads | Collected & stored in comb | Made in stomach, stored in comb |
| Storage | Not stored | Stored in comb | Stored and capped in comb |
How Much Royal Jelly Do Bees Produce?
- Nurse bees produce tiny amounts per day.
- Queen larvae are flooded with 250–300 mg during development.
- Worker bees don’t store royal jelly — it is made on demand.
- Commercial beekeepers extract ~500g per hive per season, which disrupts normal queen rearing.
Do Humans Harvest Royal Jelly?
Yes, though the practice is labour-intensive and controversial:
- Beekeepers raise multiple queen larvae using artificial queen cups.
- Queen cells are harvested before pupation.
- The royal jelly is suctioned from the cells manually.
Due to low yield and intensive labour, royal jelly is:
- Expensive
- Often imported from China or Thailand
- Sold in capsule, liquid, or cream form
Human Uses of Royal Jelly
| Use | Description |
|---|---|
| Dietary supplement | Promoted for energy, fertility, immunity |
| Skincare | Used in creams and serums for hydration |
| Medicinal | Investigated for cholesterol, inflammation, wound healing |
| Traditional use | Consumed in various cultures as a tonic or aphrodisiac |
⚠️ Note: Royal jelly may trigger allergic reactions, especially in those with asthma or bee allergies.
Royal Jelly FAQs
Q: What makes a queen bee different from a worker?
A: The exclusive diet of royal jelly triggers queen development by influencing gene expression.
Q: How long is a larva fed royal jelly?
A: All larvae receive it for the first 3 days. Queen-destined larvae continue receiving it throughout their development.
Q: Do bees store royal jelly like honey?
A: No. Royal jelly is made fresh by nurse bees and is not stored in the comb.
Q: Can royal jelly be harvested without harming bees?
A: Small-scale extraction is possible, but large-scale collection disrupts natural queen production.
Q: What is royalactin?
A: A protein in royal jelly believed to initiate queen development in honeybee larvae.
Why Understanding Royal Jelly Matters
Royal jelly is more than a mysterious superfood — it is the biological key that shapes the social structure of a bee colony. Its nutritional and hormonal properties transform identical larvae into vastly different adult bees, controlling who becomes a sterile worker and who becomes a reproducing queen.
For beekeepers, understanding royal jelly is crucial for:
- Queen rearing
- Hive reproduction
- Brood health
- Ethical harvesting
It is important to bees and humans to understand the place of royal jelly in honey production and beehive health.
Royal jelly production by South African bees is not typically harvested commercially, but it occurs naturally in hives across all provinces; the Apis mellifera capensis subspecies is known for its unique ability for worker bees to activate their ovaries and lay fertilised eggs, which can influence queen rearing dynamics.
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