So, I have finally done it - drones for food.
Just so it happened, had to cut out a chunk of cross-comb with just capped drone larva.
Not much to loose.
Crashed the comb.
Mixed with fresh honey - tried about 25-30% of extract in the honey mix.
Totally agreeable; just honey by taste; clouded some; more runny (obviously).
Kids did not mind.
Keep in a fridge (freeze long term).
Good stuff (nutrition info is on Google).
Nothing ails me.
This is just an excellent supplement and you can not buy anywhere.
Does not exist for sale in N. America (is available in E. Europe).
Well, Western beekeepers are tossing away excellent super-food item.
I am at a loss.
Well, here - fried pig or calf blood is excellent (with onion and salt/paper).
Has to be freshly collected and cooked right away.
I also highly recommend it.
So there.
One other detail I will toss in - mature guys should be especially interested in this product.
You consume some amount of male hormones.
Adds strength in a certain, important area.
Seriously.
vs rocky mt oysters, dancing squid, Balut, escargot?
or eggs?
how the heck did we get there ? "look!, that just popped out of a birds butt, I am going to eat that!"
protein is protein, the rest is made up rules in our heads come on fried embryo is a standard breakfast for many !
my wife did enjoy the grafting season and the amount of royal jelly(and I guess larva) I consumed from rolled grafts
so ya,,, I guess I could fish out some drone larvae and down it but for some reason smashed larvae and guts in honey.... yuck lol, and I have cut my own "oysters"
even as a survival instructor a few decades ago insect larval = gag... incect eggs=down he hatch
Mind you - all those drone larva eat is honey and pollen AND they don't even poop yet.
Once pressed and mixed with raw honey - totally fine.
Mind you, the raw honey is full of bee spit and whatever else, anyway.
Let me tell you more - if/when in Mexico, buy those roasted crickets.
Crunchy and delicious.
I do agree in one thing - I would not eat squirmy worms and larva whole, or scorpions as-is (fried or live).
A bit disagreeable visually (at least for now).
Anyway, this is one reason I do my own bees now days.
I can eat whatever the heck I want and not worry a bit - all chem-free.
Those who eat hot dogs without thinking much - keep eating (this is what the truly nasty stuff is, just saying).
Think for a minute how they made and what is in them and look up a video or two.
Now, that is eww..
Some guys from the Moscow forum prefer a roasted drone. You can see in the photo how it looks. They say good against cholesterol. Take a honeycomb with a large drone larva, shake out with sharp movements to the pan. Fry in butter until crisp for a few minutes. Tasty, like a nut.
Last year I simply crushed unwanted drones and mixed them with honey (by eye).
Kept in fridge (probably was not necessary, but I did not know my drone/honey proportions - 1:10 is recommended)
Everyone one ate the honey and no one gave it a single strange thought.
Just honey (visually clouded as if when is starts crystallizing).
This year I will do this as a no-brainer - will be harvesting drone from undesired/unknown bees.
Why is it that the disgust that this questing is being responded with only makes me want to try it more. maybe many different ways.
What other "products of the hive" am I missing out on?
The last day of the Congress was occupied by the independent working group on apitherapy and closing ceremonies. The use of bee pro-ducts in human health seems to be on the rise throughout the world. The latest products reported at the Congress were bee brood extracts, produced in Romania, called “Apilarnil®” and “Apilarnilprop®.” Several papers were given on these materials’ effects. M. Ardeleanu and associates from Romania reported on the beneficial results of treatment with these preparations which included increase in physical and psychic activity, and decline of fatigue and depression. Other studies indicated these products were effective for ulcers, arthritis and colitis.
Amazing properties with many potential benefits. If I could get past the thought of eating a grub in a milky substance, I would start eating it as a supplement.
I wonder if any organizations fighting hunger has thought of encouraging beekeeping to provide people with a source of sugar and protein. Not sure how much drone brood you would have to eat to stave off protein deficiency, but it could help. J
I wonder how many drone frames they can run per hive. What would the queen do if you made up the entire hive with drone comb? I suspect she would still lay the workers in the larger cells. Hmmmm. J
I think Oldtimer has a post on locking up a virgin queen preventing mating for 3 weeks and they become 100% drone layer. I had one queen that became almost total drone layer. Hard to believe now that I was so slow to twig to the fact that there was some near total frames of bullet nosed capped drones. After I requeened, the workers uncapped and hauled out thousands of drone larvae and dumped them.
I hope never to be so hungry that a bug or a squirrel looks tasty.
I also am pretty certain that contra Greg, the male hormones taken orally do not show up in significant quantities in circulation. But if it gives you a boost, and you like getting a boost, good for you.
It is not viagra by any means (not that I even tried viagra to know).
But as far as I know - they take viagra orally.
I have no idea how viagra works, never bothered to look into it.
There are studies to backup what I am saying - as far as drone brood supplement goes.
In general, age-related hormonal level drop has many negative side-effects. Just the energy level alone is worth looking into. We need some energy to even chase after the bees (not necessarily after the girls).
I've been eating drone brood from cut out bridge comb for the last couple of months. I just eat it raw while I'm working. It tastes kind of like warm yogurt.
Finally had a chance to make some fresh drone brood/honey mix.
Found no mites while at it.
Don't waste your drone brood, folks - pressed brood/honey mix is good tasting, very valuable, nutritious, visually agreeable stuff.
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