Abstract: 【Aim】 Bumblebees are important pollinators of many plants. They forage and store floral nectar and pollen as their primary food. This study aims to explore the nutritional requirements of bumblebees and to determine whether they can make sugar solution into honey in the process of feeding food provided by breeders. 【Methods】 B. friseanus populations were fed with the artificial sugar solution of commercial granulated sugar (the sugar concentration 50%), and the sugar solutions were collected from capping cells which had been stored by B. friseanus for 1-7 d as the treatment group samples. Meanwhile, the artificial sugar solutions were placed in sterile centrifuge tubes which bumblebees could not access and used as the control group samples. The pH value, sugar concentration and components, and α-amylase and invertase activities in the treatment and control groups were detected over the storage period. 【Results】 The mean pH value of sugar solution stored in wax cells by B. friseanus for 1-7 d was 3.74±0.13, significantly lower than that in the control group (6.55±0.15). There was a significantly positive correlation between the sugar concentration and storage time of sugar solution stored by B. friseanus. The average sugar concentration in the sugar solution stored in wax cells for 6 d was significantly higher than that stored for 1-3 d. Components of carbohydrates in the sugar solution stored in wax cells by B. friseanus became richer, and sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, and trehalose were detected by HPLC analysis. The hexose contents in the sugar solution stored in wax cells for 4-5 d were extremely significantly higher than those stored for 1-3 d and 6-7 d. The hexose content and the maltose content showed highly significantly negative correlation with the sucrose content, respectively. There was an extremely significantly negative correlation between the content of fructose or maltose in the total sugar and the storage time of sugar solution stored by B. friseanus. However, there was an extremely significantly positive correlation between the contents of glucose, sucrose and trehalose and the storage time of sugar solution stored in wax cells, respectively. The α-amylase activity in the sugar solution stored in wax wells for 6 d was significantly higher than those in samples stored for the other storage time, and there was no significant difference in the α-amylase activity in sugar solution in wax wells among the other storage time. The invertase activity in all samples in wax cells varied from 21.17 to 38.05 U/g FW, and showed no significant difference during the storage period. 【Conclusion】 The data proved that bumblebees B. friseanus forage and store artificial sugar solution in wax cells. The sugar solution undergoes physical and biochemical changes after processing by B. friseanus, revealing the honeymaking ability of bumblebees. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for researching bumblebee biology and breeding. 

Key words: Bombus friseanus, food, honey-making, honey, physical and chemical change; biological enzyme