Raise drone larvae for food?

[Greg V]

Not much is talked about the protein harvested from the bees.
The proper protein I mean (not pollen).
Was mentioned here, but that's about it:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/madbees/yvX0-KFfv6Y/3Xdl7-G13OkJ

So, what will it take to actually raise drone larvae as food supplement?

Sounds totally counter-intuitive, but we want to have drone-laying queens to have the drone-producing farm.
The declining, drone-producing colony is what we want. No?
How could the drone larvae be harvested?

Kick few ideas around?

[Paul Zelenski]

Most people in America don't like getting their protein from insects. Hence no one talking about it. The reason to harvest drone brood rather than worker brood is that it doesn't disrupt the hive. If you forced a hive into a drone laying queen or laying workers you are no better off than simply harvesting workers, actually worse. If you want to harvest drones do something similar to drone trapping as people do it to deal with mites. 

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[Greg V]

Also true.
Especially since the drone-foundation is for sale.
Double-whammy maybe.

On Monday, June 27, 2016 at 12:21:17 PM UTC-5, Paul Zelenski wrote:

...............If you want to harvest drones do something similar to drone trapping as people do it to deal with mites. 

[Greg V]

So, I have a question to the village here:
   do any of you successfully use the drone-base mite trapping method?

Because if it is working, that just as well work for the drone larvae farming then.

[Paul Zelenski]

I have used it succ sully, but I wasn't great at taking the frames out on time and had a few times where they all emerged and I had a ton of drones (and mites) as a result. The bees love making drones, especially in the spring. Later in summer they are more likely to start making honey in the drone comb. 

[Oleg Broytman]

I've been using it this season for the first time.  Some of my hives are very cooperative in drawing out the plastic drone foundation and filling it wall to wall with drone brood (which I then remove, together with a substantial amount of mites).  Some of my other hives could hardly be bothered to draw out any cells on that frame, or just bridge it to the adjacent frames with brace comb and make a mess.  

I have been diligently swapping the drone frames every 3 weeks and freezing the brood/mites or feeding them to chickens (the chickens absolutely love to devour big, fat white grubs, and clean out the whole frame in a matter of hours).  How much difference it will make on my mite infestation levels, I do not yet know.  Randy Oliver seems to endorse this method - he says trapping/removing 1 frame of drone brood per hive has been shown to keep the mites down to the level where they can be knocked out with 1 fall treatment, and 2 frames of drone brood per hive can keep mites down below the threshold of treatment.  But, like Paul says, you have to be very strict about the schedule of removing and replacing the frames, or you'll make the situation worse. 

[John B]

I sometimes wonder if, when we trap mites with drone brood, we are unintentionally selecting for mites that prefer (or at least can tolerate) worker brood. I'd rather have mites that prefer (or maybe even need) drone brood.

[Joseph Bessetti]

I was just thinking about this same thing.  While long-term trapping could provide selective pressure of this sort, I think it would probably take a very long time for the mites to "change" in this way, and I expect the drone brood preference is very "deeply wired".  Plus with even short term removal of the selective pressure the mites would rapidly revert, even if just from mites coming in from outside the apiary.
 
The mite's preference for drone brood is well documented and frequently stated, yet in hives that contain both drone brood and worker brood there are still a decent percentage of the mites that still infest workers cells.      And when hives stop raising drones in the fall the mites are forced to reproduce in worker brood, which they do.  Thus, that "fall treatment" is still recommended.    If we could prevent successful mite reproduction in worker cells it might make drone trapping viable as a treatment-free strategy.
 
I think I'd be reluctant to go through all this trouble of trapping drones only to still have to treat, unless I could sell them to Greg V. at a good price to add to his oatmeal for breakfast!
 
Joe
 

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Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2016 10:17:18 -0500
Subject: Re: [madbees] Raise drone larvae for food?
From: tranqu...@gmail.com
To: mad...@googlegroups.com

[scott monsma]

Eating them will be an acquired taste unless they're folded into something like brownies. I find them creamy and a bit tart, straight from the comb. Also they're very delicate and mushy, and hard to extract from the cells even when frozen.

Scott

[jeanne hansen]

My beekeeping friend in Uganda, Isaac, has experience with eating honey bee larva.  His father used to do it and enjoy them.  The way he ate them was to take a bite of the comb, chew it up gently, and spit out the wax and fiber.  If you need protein, this is a very delicious way to get it.  But Isaac himself would never dream of even trying larva!

 

Thanks!
Jeanne Hansen
824 Jacobson Ave
Madison, WI 53714
608-244-5094

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From: scott monsma <samo...@gmail.com>
To: mad...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 12:35 PM

Subject: Re: [madbees] Raise drone larvae for food?

[Greg V]

I guess my idea of drone larvae food supplement boils down to freezing/toasting/grinding them.
The difficult part would be separation from the comb.

The end result should be some powder of sorts - totally agreeable in my book.
Like I add flax meal everywhere, the drone meal will do as well.
This is some GOOD STUFF that goes unused (probably the most valuable bee product there is).

[Greg V]

Now we are talking..
Where do I order?

On Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at 11:45:09 AM UTC-5, Joe wrote:

..........I could sell them to Greg V. at a good price to add to his oatmeal for breakfast!

[Greg V]

I am sure everyone has google but here is a good reference anyway:

http://slism.com/calorie/111244/

[Greg V]

Now find honey on this site and compare...
Honey sucks (to be objective).

[Randy Deering]

I'm trying to cut down on sodium, so there goes the bee larva! Darn.

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Randy

[Greg V]

Use as/instead of salt.
That simple.
Good stuff.
:0)

[Greg V]

"..... Traditionally, these combs were eaten whole – larvae, pupae, honey and all – and in that form they are one of nature's most nutritionally complete foods......."
http://nordicfoodlab.org/blog/2012/10/bee-larvae-granola

Last one for the day - enough.
Time to hit the raspberry/gooseberry patch!
Harvest 2016 has begun for me too.

[James]

What about fishing bait?  Hell, I'm suddenly inspired!

[Greg V]

Tried already - not good.
Too soft - fish just pull them drones off the hook and keep thanking your for the newly found super-fish-food option.

[Greg V]

To be noted - them drones are great chicken food too (as noted above).
Our chickens would hang out near when we'd open the hives; they knew what was coming.

[Greg V]

OK, I have been already told to stop trolling when I spoke about "bugs for food". Oh well...

So, you here go - support the Wisconsin Film Festival 2017 and see movie "Bugs" (April 1 @ Barrymore and April 3 @ Sundance).

http://wifilmfest.org/2017/guide.htm#Event=16974