>
> >THEN, could that mean that the bees are collecting a largely homogeneous
> crop of inferior pollen and using it preferentially to the mixed pollens
> collected throughout the rest of the season, meaning their natural tendency
> to use fresh over old only exacerbates the problem?
>

That appears to be exactly the case, Bill.  For example, a colony bringing
in solely dandelion pollen would go downhill unless there was a
complimentary pollen in their diet.  Beebread turnover is generally quite
rapid during broodrearing periods--from what I can tell, there is only any
degree of long-stored beebread during winter.
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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