C I C I’s BLOG

Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of the
larvae. It is secreted from the hypopharyngeal glands in the heads of young
workers and used (amongst other substances) to feed all of the larvae in the
colony, including those destined to become workers. If a queen is needed, the
hatchling will receive only royal jelly - and in large quantities - as its food
source for the first four days of its growth, and this rapid, early feeding
triggers the development of queen morphology, including the fully developed
ovaries needed to lay eggs. Some commercial royal jelly suppliers disseminate
misinformation such as "Only queen larvae and adult queens are fed royal jelly";
the fact remains that all larvae in a colony are fed royal jelly, and adult bees
do not consume it at all.

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