The Holistic Parrot by Leslie Moran
In ancient societies, primarily in Greece, China and Egypt, bee pollen and honey were well known for being used as medicine for healing. But with our planet becoming more polluted each year it’s essential that we considered pesticides and other toxic residues in the foods we choose to feed our parrots and eat ourselves. Herein we’ll explore the benefits and concerns of bee pollen and reveal a surprising gift that it offers the bees.
As bees busily forage and feed on a wide variety of flowers their rear legs gather floral pollen for transport back to the hive. The pollen is then moistened with nectar and the bees’ salivary secretions that creates the pellet-like bee pollen. Bees also feed this pollen to their larvae. Using pollen traps at the hive entrance bee pollen can be gathered by beekeepers without damaging the hive.
Flower nectar and pollen grains are the main nutritional food sources that are essential for the survival and health of bee colonies. Flower nectar is produced by the nectariferous glands of plants and is the raw material for honey production. Whereas, pollen grains represent the flower’s male reproductive elements.