High variability in caged bee survival is a fairly well known fact among people who occasionally or routinely submit bees to these fairly unnatural conditions. Water is always provided. And some source of energy. The type of access, quality, presentation of a protein source really affect longevity. And then there is batch to batch variability probably having to do with the nutritional state of the immatures prior to emergence, their health, even handling during the loading of the cages.
Maybe in the race for quick publication cage experimenters have gotten sloppier and less careful with procedures known to influence longevity?
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