-- randy oliver <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Numerous experiments over the years, some cited in my nutrition and nosema articles, indicate that caged bees fed unfermented pollen are able to digest and utilize the nutrients in raw pollen.
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hi randy, i'm glad you brought this up.  i haven't gone through every cite on your site, but, "The effect of dietary protein on colony performance"
http://www.apidologie.org/index.php?option=article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/apido/pdf/2000/03/m0305.pdf
seems about as relevant as anything.

a few observations on this study from a quick skim of it wrt your claims above:
1.  they did not compare "beebread" with "collected pollen".  is it possible that all samples provide undernourisment when compared to the diet they might have in the hive?

2.  all pollen was either assumed to have sugars, or had sugar added.  all pollen was then mixed with water.  this mixture was replaced on days 3 and 8.  given the sugar, the water, and the 3,5, and 6 days time between replacing this mixture, it is entirely possible that the pollen fermented in this time.

3.  the assay of the pollen was done after pulverizing the pollen/water mixture.  although it has little bearing on your comments, it is something that we postulated in the paper...pulverized unfermented pollen might test similarly to fermented pollen, but unpulverized unfermented pollen might not offer the bees the same nutrition.

i know you are busy, and i will continue to poke around some of the references you cite in your articles, but if you do know of a study that is definitely looking at unfermented pollen consumption, i'd love to read it.

deknow

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