• quantumcrop@lemmy.today
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    2 days ago

    Using their extra-toothed mandible, they will slice and chew the flesh off, coating the meat in their acid-rich saliva before consumption. The bee will transport the chewed carrion back to the colony where it’s regurgitated into wax pots, different from the honey pots.

    Here, the meat will be mixed with honey and left to mature over a period of 14 days. During this curing time, it will become a paste-like substance that is rich in free amino acids and sugars. This paste is fed to their young, who need it to grow.

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    So basically a potted meat but with sugar instead of fat. Apparently they also keep normal honey that’s separate from the meat honey. Bees are so fucking cool.