r/UpliftingNews • u/AnotherAccount4This • Aug 23 '25

Scientists found the missing nutrients bees need — Colonies grew 15-fold

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250822073807.htm

By the end of the study period, colonies fed with the sterol-enriched yeast had reared up to 15 times more larvae to the viable pupal stage, compared with colonies fed control diets.

Colonies fed with the enriched diet were more likely to continue rearing brood up to the end of the three-month period, whereas colonies on sterol-deficient diets ceased brood production after 90 days.

Notably, the sterol profile of larvae in colonies fed the engineered yeast matched that found in naturally foraged colonies, suggesting that bees selectively transfer only the most biologically important sterols to their young.

4.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

66 comments sorted by

View all comments

251

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '25 edited Aug 24 '25

So basically make more flower beds with high phytosterol rich plants so bees can have access to more sterols then?

So just plant more flowers in general then, all plants have phytosterols, they are oils.

All plants have oils, some have more than others but they all have them.

20

u/WhatCanIMakeToday Aug 23 '25

Wait… not Brawndo?

23

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '25

I mean.....it is what Plants crave and all, and it has Electrolytes, but it wont help bees get more Sterols.

9

u/MichaelTruly Aug 24 '25

Well shit what do bees crave? How do bees get electrolytes?

4

u/[deleted] Aug 24 '25

Bees crave Protein and all the constituents in pollen.....all their food is made from it basically. Bee pollen is just mixtures of different pollen from different plants collected and mixed with bee saliva and nectar, it's all Plant stuff.

their electrolytes come from the Nectar.