Can Bees Collect Too Much Pollen?

We are fascinated with bees. Bees throughout history, their role in medicine, beauty, honey production, and pollination are a few of the things we focus on most. Some may wonder if there can be too much of a good thing: pollen. As adaptable as bees are, and how they navigate effortlessly and seem to be able to smell food and water from far distances, bees can collect too much pollen. Bees can get so covered in pollen that they may appear to be drunk or weighed down by the bright yellow pollen particles. When this occurs, bees can overstuff a hive, limiting the queen’s ability to lay new brood, which can lead to colony collapse and potentially result in swarming.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Intuitively, it may be hard to conceive that bees would collect too much pollen. Their instincts and survival skills lead us to think they know exactly what they are doing, and all their tasks are purposeful and precisely measured. However, experienced beekeepers have reported that in most cases, bees do self-regulate their pollen collection. They have a pulse on what is needed for their queen and hive, but not in all cases. Lots and lots of pollen seem like it would be a good thing, allowing queens to lay more brood. However, in too much excess, pollen can send a signal to the queen to stop laying brood.

It was once believed that the brood stimulated pheromones, which signaled to bees to collect pollen; however, it is now known that once a queen has finished laying brood, some bees will continue to collect pollen. In these rare cases, the hive will crash as the frames become clogged with pollen, and the bees will die. If too much pollen is collected, it begins to backfill into the cells where the eggs would go, and there is nowhere left for the queen to lay eggs. If this occurs, the queen will leave as the hive swarms, or it will completely collapse. On the outside of the hive, it would be impossible to tell if this was happening, which is why beekeepers must check on their hives regularly to ensure they are not infected with disease or that other concerning issues are not occurring on the frames.

Excess Pollen Can Be Stored

Every beekeeper will tell you that every hive is unique, and they do not all have the same behaviors. Bees themselves can display individual behaviors, and not all over-eager pollen collectors are doing anything wrong. Excess pollen can be beneficial in some cases because royal jelly, which is fed to the brood, is made up of a mixture including pollen. Every beekeeper who has observed excess pollen will have to make the call whether or not it is due to the queen not laying any more eggs. Some beekeepers have removed entire frames full of pollen and stored them in a freezer for later use. Only when there is no room to lay more eggs, or the queen is not well, do beekeepers need to act and make changes. Sometimes a queen that isn't doing her role well enough to keep the hive thriving needs to be replaced. If you are new to beekeeping, contact a local beekeeper who can help navigate the appearance of excessive pollen in the frames of your hives.

Drunk Bees

Bees may become drunk on fermented nectar that produces ethanol. Bees appear drunk and can be moved around without responding, similar to an intoxicated person who has had too much to drink. Bees may appear unsteady and disoriented, and they may not be able to fly in this state. Nectar in the hot sun can ferment, and the liquid, when sucked up, can cause behavior to appear clumsy as they wander and fly without much purpose. In some cases, it has been observed that these intoxicated bees are not allowed back into the hive when they return. Hives have bees that guard the entrance from threats, and drunk bees are not always allowed back in until they sober up.

Sadly, drunk bees can also become sick, which may be more of another reason they are not welcomed back into the hive. Fermented nectar can cause bees to become ill and die.