Jerry Hayes writes: I am having a discussion with a grower concerning whether or not broodless honey bees will forage for pollen. In my search I have only found a few references to the presence of "larva" acting as the cue for active pollen collection. Reply: Yes, broodless bees willf orage for pollen and do it quite well. In the spring colonies with used up stores of pollen and low on honey must do this. It was researched by the US gov years back and documented extensively, along with temperature triggers, etc. I will dig up the info and email the ref to you. Jerry continiues:The grower is thinking that he can buy packages and they will provide the pollination he needs and that he will not have to pay for full colonies. Reply: He will need a good queen and young workers, but then this is what package honeybees are about! And would be a source of business for package bee makers. Regards, Dee A. Lusby __________________________________ Discover Yahoo! Stay in touch with email, IM, photo sharing and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/stayintouch.html :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::