When cooked or dried, honeycombs tend to retain their shape and are agreeably crunchy, presenting an intense nutty flavour.

[4] Described by one chef as tasting like “fatty honey,” the larvae survive on beebread, “the slightly fermented pollen stores of the hive,” lending to their subtly sweet flavor.

[2] While it remains a widely popular delicacy during rain season in Southeast Asia, it has also found to be distasteful by many as people cringed after watching food bloggers eating grilled honey bee larvae.

Research into the nutritional value of honey bee brood indicates that it is high in carbohydrates and protein, contains all the essential amino acids.

Brood is a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and the trace minerals iron, zinc, copper, selenium and most of the B-vitamins, as well as vitamin C and choline.