Royal jelly is composed primarily of water (67%), carbohydrates (12%), lipids (4%), and protein (13%). The amount of royal jelly a female larvae is fed during its development determines whether it will become a queen bee or a worker bee. If fed large quantities of the jelly, the larvae will develop the queen morphology and will have fully functioning ovaries. If fed smaller quantities for only the first 2-3 days of development, the larvae will develop into a worker bee and will be incapable of producing eggs.
Queen bees continue to receive a diet of royal jelly throughout their life. The nutritional value of the diet is reflected in the queen bees lifespan which can be 4-5 years (in contrast to the lifespan of worker bees, who live only one season).
Scientists in Thailand have discovered that the composition of royal jelly changes throughout the year. During the rainy season, carbohydrate and moisture content was elevated while in the hot season lipid content peaked (Wongchai and Ratanavalachai 2002).
Sources
Wongchai, V. and T. Ratanavalachai. 2002. Seasonal Variation of Chemical Composition of Royal Jelly Produced in Thailand. Thammasat International Journal of Science and Technology 7 2:1-8.
