JP-2026075083-A - Pollen-based feed

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention relates to a pollen-based composition, particularly a feed formulation prepared from pollen collected by honeybees, and a method for preparing the same. The present invention further relates to a method for maintaining the health of pollinators in a honeybee/pollinator colony by providing one or more pollen feed formulations for honeybees or pollinators. The present invention provides a pollen feed formulation that does not easily break when placed in a beehive and can be fed by honeybees and bumblebees. [Solution] A pollen-based composition prepared with a tableting pressure of at least 10 kg/cm². A pollen-based feed formulation which is a flattened pollen disc prepared with a pressure of at least 10 kg/cm². [Selection Diagram] None

Inventors

• 大井 正典
• 光畑 雅宏

Assignees

• ユーピーエル・モーリシャス・リミテッド

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251021

Priority Date

20241021

Claims (8)

1. A pollen-based composition prepared with a tableting pressure of at least 10 kg/ cm² .
2. A pollen-based feed formulation consisting of flattened pollen discs prepared at a pressure of at least 10 kg/ cm² .
3. The composition or compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pollen-based composition or the flattened pollen disc is a tablet prepared with a tableting pressure of at least 10 kg/ cm² .
4. The composition or formulation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the composition or formulation further comprises a binder.
5. A process for preparing a pollen-based feed formulation, comprising compressing pollen granules at a pressure of at least 10 kg/ cm² to provide flattened pollen discs.
6. The process according to claim 5, wherein the process includes adding a binder to the formulation.
7. The process according to claim 5, wherein the flattened pollen disc has a thickness of 1 cm to 100 cm.
8. A method for maintaining the health of a bee or pollinator, comprising providing the bee or pollinator with one or more pollen-based feed formulations, wherein the formulations are prepared at a pressure of at least 10 kg/cm².

Description

This invention relates to a method for preparing a dried pollen-based feed formulation for maintaining the health of pollinators. More specifically, this invention relates to a dried pollen feed formulation prepared from pollen collected by bees and a method for preparing the same. Furthermore, this invention relates to a method for maintaining the health of pollinators in a bee/pollinator colony. Wild bee pollination is fundamental to the sustainable growth of various plant species and is crucial for ensuring sufficient yields in approximately 85% of food crops. Because pollinators ensure reproduction in plants, they are essential to the functioning of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Pollinators, in turn, benefit from pollination by harvesting nutrients necessary for their growth and health. For example, in honeybees, nectar, containing minimal concentrations of carbohydrates and proteins stored as honey, serves as energy fuel, while pollen provides most of the nutrients necessary for the physiological development of the bee queen and larvae. However, in recent years, a decline in the abundance and diversity of bee species has been reported at regional, local, and national levels across various continents. Plant and geographical origins, along with other factors such as atmospheric conditions, soil properties, and bee behavior, influence the chemical composition of bee pollen and its nutritional benefits. Bee pollen contains vitamins, nutrients, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and a considerable amount of polyphenols, mainly flavonoids. Bee pollen originates from pollen that accumulates on the bees' bodies as they fly from flower to flower. When pollen is used as a protein source for larvae, the "pollen balls" formed by worker bees collecting pollen from flowers are collected using an accumulator attached to the entrance of the beehive in the bee colony. The collected pollen balls are then fed to the larvae in either fresh or dried granular form. Bee pollen is also used in diets as a nutritional supplement due to its beneficial effects on human diseases. Pollen is also important at the colony level, considering its nutritional efficiency, as it enables young worker bees to produce jelly, which is then used to feed larvae, queen bees, male bees, and older worker bees. Therefore, the direct consequences of pollen deficiency are a decrease in colony population and possibly poor individual health, which can also affect the bees' tolerance thresholds to pathogens or other stressors such as pesticides. Pollen intake is known to affect physiological metabolism, immunity, resistance to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and microsporids, and reduces sensitivity to insecticides. However, honeybees rarely face a complete lack of pollen in their environment; rather, they face variability in pollen quality, as well as the temporal and spatial availability of pollen resources in terms of quantity, type, and diversity. Furthermore, pollen can differ in terms of nutritional content between flower species, suggesting that some flowers are of better quality for bees than others. The administration and preparation of pollen formulations for use in apiaries have been redundant. For bumblebees, pollen pellets can be frozen and dried at low temperatures, or mixed with a sugar solution, kneaded, and then extruded to form tablets for feeding. For honeybees, in addition to the same methods used for bumblebees, artificial feeds made from soybeans may be used. Traditionally, fresh or dried pollen has been used directly for rearing honeybee and bumblebee larvae. Because it is granular, feeding it to the entire beehive or beekeeping unit is time-consuming, and pollen loss is easily caused by leakage from the beehive. Processed products involve mixing and extrusion processes, resulting in high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, artificial feeds used for honeybee health do not lead to efficient larval development. While techniques for forming pollen tablets with a diameter of several centimeters using mixing and extrusion have already been disclosed, the manufacturing cost is high because it requires two processes: mixing and extrusion. Examples of Chinese patent applications disclosing nutritional foods for human consumption include (CN104886431A) and (CN1718195). The tablet size is small (0.5g) to allow only oral ingestion, and cannot meet the nutritional requirements of bee colonies in beehives. Therefore, larger pollen tablets are preferable as nutrition for bees. This requires different tableting techniques, and the tableting pressure needs to be specified to prevent collapse during transport, etc. Objective of the Invention The objective of the present invention is to provide a process for preparing a pollen-based feed formulation for maintaining the health of pollinators. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pollen-based feed formulation that is stable at room temperature, can be easily fed, suppresses