As the days lengthen and temperatures increase, bees will be out searching for any nectar available, since an incoming supply of nectar stimulates the queen into laying more eggs. As eggs turn into larvae, there is a requirement for more brood food to feed them. Apart from nectar, the bee requires pollen to produce some of this food.

Pollen stored from the previous autumn may not be sufficient to enable the bees to produce enough milk and so can result in a delay in spring brood-rearing. The bee now will be on the lookout for any available supply, since fresh pollen in the springtime will be more beneficial in the production of bee milk. Bee milk, forms part of the brood food and with added pollen and honey, form what is known as brood food.

The early pollens will come from hazel among other sources. The hazel is found among the hedgerows of Ireland and is an early source of pollen. The male flowers supplying pollen, are the catkins, which look like lambs tails. Male and female flowers are found on the same tree.

Hazel is self-incompatible and is wind-pollinated and not dependent on the bee. The honeybee will collect pollen from it, as it is one of the few sources available at this time of year. The nutritive value of hazel pollen is low but, as the saying goes, “half a loaf is better than no bread”.

Pollens contain many useful nutrients, which some people consume as a health promoting food. Poor nutrient content can be detrimental to the honeybee. Pollen is put into storage in the honeycomb and is placed around the brood area of the honeycomb, as is honey. This ensures that food is available close at hand for brood-rearing.

The collection of pollen by the bee may be deliberate or inadvertent. Deliberate collection involves the bee chewing off the pollen from the stamens of the flower. Inadvertent collection is where the body hair becomes covered with pollen grains. These hairs are specialised and pollen grains attach easily. By a process of grooming, the bee collects all the pollen from its body and adds a little nectar to bind it as it is packed into special baskets on the hind legs. A load of 17 to 20mg of pollen may be carried back to the hive, where it is loaded into cells close to the brood. Bees protect their food from spoilage by adding certain substances to it.