Amino acid and lipid spectra of larvae of honey bee (Apis cerana Fabr) feeding on mustard pollen

Amino acid and lipid compositions of the larvae of honeybees (Apis cerana) confined to (i) caged foraging on mustard (Brassica campestris L cv Toria) pollen only (CM), (ii) uncaged foraging in open abundantly flowering mustard plants (UCM), and (iii) caged foraging in non mustard plants (CNM), are reported. Both the content and quality of the amino acids and lipids of the larvae were affected by the type of pollen nutrition of the bees. The CM larvae appeared to contain greater amounts of total amino acids and lipids compared to the UCM and CNM larvae. Proline was the amino acid present in the greatest amount. Triglycerides and phospholipids form the major lipid classes of the larvae irrespective of the type of pollen nutrition of the bees, the former being present in the greatest amount. The concentrations of all the biochemical constituents, the brood area and the larval weight varied in the order CM > UCM > CNM. The concentration of protein amino acids in the CM was about twice as high as that in the CNM, but free amino acids varied in the order CNM > CM > UCM. As such, mustard is a superior pollen source of bee nutrition.