http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/een.12375/full

Abstract

1. Honey bees (*Apis mellifera*) prefer foraging at compound-rich, ‘dirty’,
water sources over clean water sources. As a honey bee's main floral diet
only contains trace amounts of micronutrients – likely not enough to
sustain an entire colony – it was hypothesised that honey bees forage in
dirty water for physiologically essential minerals that their floral diet,
and thus the colony, may lack.

2. While there are many studies regarding macronutrient requirements of
honey bees, few investigate micronutrient needs. For this study, from 2013
to 2015, a series of preference assays were conducted in both summer and
autumn.

3. During all field seasons, honey bees exhibited a strong preference for
sodium in comparison to deionised water. There was, however, a notable
switch in preferences for other minerals between seasons.

4. Calcium, magnesium, and potassium – three minerals most commonly found
in pollen – were preferred in autumn when pollen was scarce, but were
avoided in summer when pollen was abundant. Thus, as floral resources
change in distribution and abundance, honey bees similarly change their
water-foraging preferences.

5. Our data suggest that, although they are generalists with relatively few
gustatory receptor genes, honey bee foragers are fine-tuned to search for
micronutrients. This ability likely helps the foragers in their search for
a balanced diet for the colony as a whole.

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