Trevor Weatherhead wrote:
> I can remember in June 1986 sitting in
> the University of Minnesota talking with the late Basil Furgala about
> cannabilism in bees.  He told us of trials he had done where he had
> witnessed cannabilism as a side issue and he stirred my interest in this
> subject.
>
> When I came back to Australia, I started to take notice of this and there are
> times when bees cannabilise brood, especially unsealed brood.  We have an
> ironbark called Caley's ironbark which flowers in the winter time.  It
> produces a great honey but is pollen deficient.  If it is in any way dry or
> there are no wattles flowering to produce pollen, the bees will eat the
> unsealed brood and often the sealed brood.
>
> There are other times when conditions deteriorate very quickly that bees will
> also eat brood.
>
> Maybe the conditions in the USA are a lot better than ours and you don't see
> it but Basil had assured he had seen it in Minnesota.
 
Well, this is all very interesting.  I have personally never seen this in 35
years among the bees, although I have often seen brood, especially drone brood,
pulled out of the hive.  I was taught that one of the major dietary differences
between bees and other hymenoptera is that bees get their protein solely from
pollen whereas wasps, etc., get it from a variety of sources, but especially
animal (i.e., insect) body parts.  I have also seen bees in early spring try to
collect anything that resembles pollen, even if it is not.  Thus they are pests
around cattle feed lots where ground wheat and oats is fed.  They seem to go to
great lengths to try getting pollen.  If they could merely cannibalize their
own brood, why would they be out looking for anything that is pollen-like?
 
I would be interested in any research that Furgala has actually published on
this subject.  Does anyone have any information?
 
Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA