Dr. Mattila's  recent publication, "Honey Bee Workers That Are Pollen Stressed as Larvae Become Poor Foragers and Waggle Dancers as Adults"   ((( open access:  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0121731&type=printable )))   indicates that restriction of pollen (and by implication amino acids) reduces longevity and important bee behavoir.       
        While the present publication does not directly address fall suplementation, it discusses resistance to virus as an importatant correlate of good nutrition.
        From the discussion: 
    A chief concern about the impact of poor nutrition on honey bee colonies is the possibility that it acts synergistically with other environmental stressors to undermine colony function. Notably, undernourished larvae are particularly vulnerable to some of these stressors, including pests, pathogens, and pesticides.
       I remain curious as to differences between California colonies which have early autumn high-protein sub feeding  and similar colonies where this supplementation is delayed until January 15th or later.    Has anyone done a side-by-side trial of those two feeding calendars?     Jan. 15th is my traditional start-date for spring build-up (Arroyo Willow catkins),  and will of course be different in the interior.
 

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