In 2000, MegaBee’s founder, Dr. Gordon Wardell, was approached by a group of beekeepers at the American Beekeeping Federation meetings and given the challenge of making a better food for bees. Ideally one that was versatile enough to be fed as a patty or mixed directly into sugar syrup. With a cooperative research agreement in place at the USDA ARS Carl Hayden bee research center in Tucson, they set out to create the perfect nutritional supplement for bees. It had everything the bees needed…but they wouldn’t touch it.

Turning to his team, Gordy said, “They have wings, we can't force them to eat something...so let’s ask the bees what they want.” This changed everything. His team ran palatability trials on dozens of different ingredients selecting ones they liked and refining the list, eventually selecting the best performing products and plugging them into a formula that balanced the delicate nutritional ratios honey bees need.

And MegaBee was born. The first high protein all-in-one product of its kind.

Since its launch in 2007, MegaBee has set the standard for premium honey bee nutrition. It has spurred an influx of premium pollen supplements around the globe as the beekeeping community increasingly implements supplemental feeding into hive management plans to deal with difficulties brought on by climate change, pesticides and parasites.

Beekeeping is changing, we can all see it. Queens burn out faster than they used to. Pesticide use has skyrocketed in the last 15 years. Viruses, hive beetles, varroa...sometimes just keeping your hives alive feels like a win. But with MegaBee we can do more than survive, we can get those hives to THRIVE.

Our product's success lies in its ability to turn back the clock and transform the inner workings of the hive. The premise is this: What if a product could stimulate royal jelly production in nurse bees beyond what the brood needs? What would they do with the leftovers? Spolier alert: they share it! As that royal jelly gets passed around the hive it makes its way to the adult bees, field foragers that can no longer process traditional protein sources (like bee bread) and rely on carbohydrate sources until they burn out and join the "big hive in the sky."

When these field foragers start consuming royal jelly, protein levels in their bodies skyrocket and their lifespans are extended. Becuase of this house bees do not need to become field foragers quite yet. This massive trickle-down effect happens and bees can stay in their roles longer. The ratio of nurse bees to brood increases, ensuring healthy future generations. Longer living bees means more overlap between generations, leading to more bees in the box. More bees in the box = more honey, better pollination grades, fewer deadouts, etc.

Putting a little bit of time back on a single bee's life has massive implications for overcoming the challenges we see in today's beekeeping landscape. Our reserach, along with independent studies from some of the brightest minds in the industry shows this. Curious? Check out the reserach.