Horrors! Bee Brood as a form of protein

[tillie]

Goodness, I was looking at the stat counter for my blog and in following where visitors came from, in one google search someone used with the search item: beekeeping vinegar, there was this google-found link:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0076e/w0076e19.htm

The fellow is demonstrating EATING bee brood as a source of protein.  I can't imagine, although if I were hungry enough.....

Linda T shocked in Atlanta

[Mici]

GREAT!
a few were discousing how to roast drone larvae-since drone brood is often cut out around here, but usually they cut them out later, let's say blue eyed pupae stage. now...i was very interested in trying them so all i have to do now is, talk someone into cutting out the drone brood emidiately after it's cealed!

general thought, WHY NOT!

[Cindi]

Linda, oh brother, what next!!!  I think that there would be far more superior ways of obtaining protein in ones diet.  To get a small amount of protein from "regular" sources would probably take hundreds and hundreds of brood to get the same equivalent.  It would seem rather a bother in my mind.  Maybe people with too much time on their hands.  Well, unless of course, protein from regular sources is hard to get.  To each his own.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi

[KONASDAD]

I would imagine that brood is extremely high in vital nutrients. Larvae of all species receive ample amounts of proteins and nutrients to develop properly. Bears usually eat the larvae too, not just the honey. They eat it b/c its extremely high in nutrients. The same reason bears eat salmon skin and eggs, discard the rest of the salmon.

[abejaruco]

One day human specie will eat grasshoppers and honey (You can read the Bible, Saint John Baptiste obteined the protein from those "apetitous" insects).
When I was a child I wanted to build a farm of grasshoppers to make food for dogs... :-D I grew up...

But if you want a good source of proteins, eat mussels. 8 mussels are equivalent to a good piece of meat.

http://www.poetryniche.com/images/mussel.jpg

[Understudy]

Do they stay crunchy even in milk?

I have eaten crickets, ants and other insects. I don't see why a honey fat bee wouldn't be delicious. Grubs and larvae from other insects are quite tasty too. Some taste like peanut butter. 

Although my prefered culinary consumables tend toward dead bovine, I don't see a problem with a bugs.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Mici]

you've said pretty much everything, but there's one more thing about bees.
now, this is a story, or should i say a fact told by my good friend which was around here till recently. his nickname is Trot
well, i quickly searched his posts but didn't find the story, still was a thrill, he made quite a few quality posts!
anyhow, to get to the point and tell it the short way!
when he was, young or should i say younger he lived in Slovenia, where he got familiarised with beekeeping, i am not sure where he started beekeeping, with his neighbout or his father, probably both since in the old days almost every homestead/family farm had at least a few hives. well, his neighbour-i think of his age, so to speak a young man who suffered from humm, don't know for sure, well he couldn't walk. that young man spent hours seating by the beehouse and ate every drone he saw and could catch flying, he also ate all of the swarm cells-queen cells his father would cut out. his situation was getting better and better and...as a result Frank-Trot helped him built his house (it's a tradition or...a need or something for a growing up man, or a young family to build a house for himself/themselves, friends of course help!). now i think that anyone can see the miracle that happend with the help of bee-brood and some of those "useless" drones!

i probably meesed up the story completely, but i don't care as long as i know it's true!

[tig]

bee brood is eaten in some places here where honey hunting is prevalent.  the old method of honey hunting for apis dorsata was cutting out the whole comb which hang from trees. the comb would fall to the ground and the honey portion would be cut out which left all the brood.  it essentially destroyed the hive because the bees couldn't save the brood and would eventually leave to form another nest. not to waste resources, the hunters would bring home the brood to eat since it was a good source of nutrients. 

the university of the philippines bee group has been teaching another method of harvesting honey from dorsata which will leave the brood intact...but some people still have a taste for bee brood.

this is also the case with apis cerena which would abscond when the hunters would take their honey....again a waste of resources when they leave their brood behind.

i know it sounds yukky and i wouldn't consider eating bee brood.  but there is a growing market for it and from an economical point of view to some people....why not>?  i guess its no different to them like raising chickens or pigs or cows for food.

[BEE C]

I tried queen bee larvae removed to get the royal jelly.  I would not recommend its taste.  I could see how it would be nutritous, don't know what the nutrition breakdown is but if its good enough for a bear...a guy I worked with doing pollination contracts last summer said he developed a taste for drone larvae...don't know what the difference is as I didn't care to try drone larvae after tasting the queen larvae... :-P

I did a paper in a medical anthropology course on different insects used to ward off disease like beri beri.  Quite common around the world in areas where famine causes protein deficiency.  Can't remember the name of it, but there was a fungus that parasitizes cocooning insects and uses them as a food source for fruitbody development.  Common in traditional chinese medicine.  Tried that at the time.  Funny how we go yuck at these food sources but eat so many preservatives and cancer causing dyes etc that human waste is considered toxic...

However i'll  stick with free range bovine myself...not about to make drone larvae a regular part of my food groups...

[Cindi]

Mici, Trot.  I miss him.  He had some very valuable informations that he provided to us forum members as well.  You are blessed to have him as your friend, and I am envious of you I must say.  I enjoyed his posts and wish that he would again contribute.

So, my husband eating a huge, huge underground larva that I dared him to eat probably did this man lots of good.  I think it was a leather jacket (mosquito hawk) larvae.  They have pinchers that I think could pack a powerful bite, I know, I have examined these little critteres.  My husband will take up any dare that is offered.  I have dared thim to do things that would make your head spin, and mine did on certain occasions!!!  LOL.  Last year he ate some of those wretched asparagus beetles that attack my asparagus plants and declared that they actually tasted like asparagus.  Holy crow!!!  Whatever!!!!

Have a beautiful day.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

If it's any consolation, Finsky isn't posting to Beesource, either.  I think he's on vacation or something right now.  He'll be back!

[Cindi]

Ann, right...I think he responds now and then to posts that he feels good to speak to.  I saw him respond to a post this morning, but it was a "jokey" kind of post.  I think he is getting more fabulous information to have at hand to give to us when a question requires his attention.  Have the greatest day.  Cindi  The sun is shinin'.....the frost will lift, I am gonna have some fun outside working in the ground.  ;) :) 8-) Yeah!!!!!