How do bees produce royal jelly?

But Dr. May Berenbaum, a professor at University of Illinois and an author of the new research, says there isn't a simple answer to the question What do bee babies eat? "We had the hardest time figuring out what larvae eat," she says. read more

Royal jelly is unrelated to honey. It is mostly water and protein, though there is also some sugar and fat. There's no protein in nectar, so the bees get protein from pollen instead. The bees don't make royal jelly directly from pollen the way they do honey from nectar. read more

Major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) are a family of proteins secreted by honey bees. The family consists of nine proteins, of which MRJP1 (also called royalactin), MRJP2, MRJP3, MRJP4, and MRJP5 are present in the royal jelly secreted by worker bees. read more

Royal jelly proponents claim the stuff cures all sorts of human problems, infertility in particular. By deduction, the stuff that makes queen bees baby machines, laying up to 2,000 eggs a day, should increase human fertility. read more