> If not nutrients, might they be improving/preserving the microorganisms themselves?
The researchers state that microbes are few and decrease with time.
> Relative to other plant material involving microbial digestion or extensive fermentation, hive-stored pollen contains very few microbes. The absolute number of bacteria in hive-stored pollen decreases with storage time, indicating that it is not a suitable medium for microbial growth.
Anderson, K. E., Carroll, M. J., Sheehan, T., Mott, B. M., Maes, P. and Corby-Harris, V. (2014), Hive-stored pollen of honey bees: many lines of evidence are consistent with pollen preservation, not nutrient conversion.
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|