Nutritional value and chemical composition of larvae, pupae, and adults of worker honey bee, Apis mellifera ligustica as a sustainable food source. S Ghosh, C Jung, VB Meyer-Rochow - Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 2016

> Honeybees at all developmental stages could be an ideal food item on account of their high protein content, balanced composition of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, and in particular their highly significant amounts of iron and zinc. 

> We conclude that not only would bees as a source of food, feed, or dietary supplement be able to ameliorate the prospects of global food security but they could also improve the economic situation of the small and medium scale bee keepers if they themselves in addition to other hive products became an accepted hive product.

Commentary. This last part has me a bit confused:

"bee keepers if they themselves in addition to other hive products became an accepted hive product."

Do they mean, consuming the beekeepers as well, or just selling them for other uses?

The article goes on to describe a management technique for controlling mites:

> Incorporation of bee brood as a marketable product, sold whole or ground into a powder added to other food stuffs, could provide small farmers who depend on apiary for their survival or have insufficient agricultural land, with an opportunity to earn extra cash during periods when many of their bees are unproductive. 

> Also harvesting the brood during summer can alleviate the ectoparasitic pest mite pressure of honey bee. Even though it is unclear that Varroa-infested broods are as safe as for food or feed supplement, the impacts of Varroa-infestation on the nutritional values of honey bee pupae was reported as minor.

Yes, well I am not interested in having mites in my dinner of bee larvae. What would the guests think if there were arachnids floating in the cream of larvae soup? 

PLB

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