Getting To Know Bee Bread

Bee bread is a mixture of bee pollen, royal jelly, honey and beeswax, all bound together with some good ole’ bee saliva. The freshly made bee bread is stored in the hive and eaten while the hive hibernates during cold times.

What Is Bee Bread?

Bee bread is a superfood that is sometimes confused with bee pollen, and it is easy to confuse them as they are pretty similar. Bees bread is made of bee pollen, but some significant differences exist.

Bee pollen is harvested from the bee as it returns to the hive. Then, a mesh is placed in front of the hive entrance that knocks the bee pollen off the bee’s legs.

If the pollen weren’t harvested as the bee returned to the hive after collecting nectar, the bee would take this pollen into the hive to be stored as food for larvae. The pollen would be packed into the honeycomb and sealed with saliva and wax to keep it fresh to use later when the flowering season has ended.

How Is Bee Bread Different to Bee Pollen?

As the bee pollen is taken deep into the hive and packed into a honeycomb cell for safe storage, it picks up a lot of extra nutrients along the way. Bee pollen is loaded into the honeycomb cells and mixed with bee saliva and beeswax.

Each cell will fill about two-thirds full with bee pollen, then it will be supplied to the top with honey and beeswax and made airtight. Once the cell is sealed, the fermentation process begins.

What Are The Nutritional Benefits of Bees Bread?

Bees bread has all the nutrients and beneficial properties of bee pollen, but it has a higher energy value due to the fermentation process and the fact it’s mixed with honey.

For this reason, it is usually recommended to consume bee bread early in the morning.

Bee Bread Has At Least 3 Times More Bioavailability Than Bee Pollen

After bee bread has been successfully fermented, many compounds can be found. It is rich in amino acids, phytohormones, flavonoids, mineral elements and active biological compounds; the bio-availability of bee bread is at least three times that of bee pollen granules.

Consuming Bees Bread Rather Than Bee Pollen

Using bee pollen or bee bread is a matter of personal preference. Bee bread is richer in nutrients and gives a more significant energy boost. Unfortunately, bee bread is harder to find and considerably more expensive.