>
> >Shall we conclude that no pollen is fed to larvae and those grains there
> are in hive cross contamination and larvae is not able to digest them?


Other authors state that the pollen grains in larvae are indeed digested.
And since the larvae of other bee species digest pollen, that is reason to
suspect that A. mellifera larvae may be able to.

This is why I'm asking all of you with 'scopes to take a look.

I've also looked at whether newly-emerged queens consume pollen, as do
newly-emerged workers and drones.  Again, examining 6 newly-emerged queens
that I placed in excluder cages on combs, directly over beebread and honey,
in the middle of active colonies, the only pollen that I saw in their guts
two days later was the occasional grain in only some of the queens.  None
of the grains in their hindguts had been digested.  It appears that queens,
from the moment of emergence, depend solely upon jelly for protein.  I'm
curious as to the degree that larvae do.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

             ***********************************************
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