> The absolute number of bacteria in hive-stored pollen decreases with storage time, indicating that it is not a suitable medium for microbial growth.

> Well the yeast dies after you make beer, wine and mead. Doesn’t mean grains, grapes and Honey are not suitable mediums. 

Bad example. It is very easy to demonstrate the changes that take place in sugar solutions when inoculated by yeast. Whereas, the changes in bee bread are extremely subtle.

¶

Whether microbes in bee bread contribute to its nutritional value is still controversial. A few
studies have reported that the nutritive value of bee bread to honey bees is superior to that of
collected pollen (see Reference 20 for review). Lactic acid bacteria from the crop are added to
pollen during collection (135), and microbial activity could lead to predigestion or the addition
of essential nutrients (50). Gut bacteria of honey bees are known to synthesize B vitamins (74),
and they could potentially enrich B vitamins in bee bread or degrade complex polysaccharides in
the exine (77). However, evidence for nutritional changes is limited and in fact bacteria seem to
be generally lacking in bee bread (6), which suggests an environment more suitable for nutrient
preservation (like honey) than for nutrient conversion. In addition, whether bacteria play a role in
nutrient preservation is questionable in light of the fact that most bees prefer to eat freshly stored
pollen and consume it within three to five days of storing it (6).

EN63CH17_Wright ARI 1 October 2017 11:47

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