----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Murray McGregor"

> > Ari Seppälä I could ask if there is any other source of protein to bees 
> > than pollen. Anyone know how much there is proteins in nectar ? Honey 
> > has, but it comes from pollen in honey.
>
> Protein levels of up to 0.4% are common, however two types in particular 
> stand out with levels much higher than that. Calluna vulgaris and 
> Leptospermum scoparium (Ling heather and Manuka) normally have protein 
> levels above 1%, sometimes close to 2%. These types are thixotropic, 
> partly as a result.

No experience with heather.  Manuka, called Jelly Bush here by beekeepers, 
flowers in the spring/early summer.  There are around eighty sp. in 
Australia, but almost all the active product comes from a very small area of 
coastal heath.  Early in the spring this area has ample supplies of a 
variety of pollens, but the Leptospermum itself tends to be deficient. 
Later in the season Leptospermum is the only sp. flowering and there is thus 
a lack of pollen available to the bees.  They start going downhill.  This 
means that there are hard decisions to be made by the beekeeper. To 
encourage beekeepers to work the crop a higher base price is paid, with a 
bonus if the honey 'goes active'.  But does one take the chance, or work the 
normally available grey ironbark flow for a bigger crop.  Grey ironbark is 
also pollen deficient, but with some care sites can be selected that have 
good pollen from other sp. thus keeping good bees for later.

Geoff Manning 

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