>
> >Some interesting data, which show the important role of pollen as a
> source of protein for wax production, were obtained during experiments
> carried out on 14 colonies, each of 0.5 kg. When the colonies were formed
> they were given fertile queens, and combs which were cut out alternately
> above and below, without any stores of bee bread. Each colony was given 200
> g. 50% sugar syrup every 24 hours. The number of bees returning with pollen
> loads was counted daily at each hive. The wax produced was periodically cut
> out.


I reviewed the study.

200g of 50:50 sugar syrup provided 100 g of sugar per day to those tiny 0.5
kg colonies--slightly over 1 lb of bees, or enough to cover 2 combs.  The
researcher counted the number of pollen loads (a tedious process over an
unspecified number of days for 14 colonies).  I worked his data, and it
indeed had a high R squared value.

However, in the experiment, the researcher apparently didn't bother to also
collect weight gain data for the colonies, which would have showed whether
the amount of nectar brought even better correlated with wax production.
So I can't draw any conclusions from this particular experiment.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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