Royal jelly

Royal jelly is produced in the glands of the superior maxilla and in the pharyngeal glands of three- to ten-day-old nurse bees. It is used to feed the brood, but especially as food for the queen bee. All larvae are given royal jelly in the first three days of their lives. From their fourth day, the workers’ larvae are given pollen and honey in addition to clear royal jelly, which causes a retrogressive metamorphosis of their sex organs.
Queen larvae are given white royal jelly which is produced by very young nurse bees and contains ten times as much biopterin as the clear royal jelly produced by older bees. The queen feeds on royal jelly throughout her whole life. Royal jelly functions as a bactericide and is used in therapies for a wide variety of ills. Since it tastes bitter and musty and causes irritation of the stomach and intestines if taken in large doses, it should be used very sparingly! It is obtained by emptying the queen larvae cells in the honeycomb.