-- Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>No  Beebread is AFAIK, mostly pollen, preserved with some sugars.

this is true on the surface.  this would be akin to saying that bread is mostly flour and water...true as far as it goes, but if you've ever eaten matzot, you know that microbes (yeast, in the case of bread) is at least as important if what you want is what you think of as "bread".

the microbial activity on the pollen/honey mixture is essential for making what we call "beebread".  it isn't simple (ie, lactic acid bacteria are important, but LAB alone will not make an attractive or nourishing beebread).

in any case, my wife, ramona, will be speaking on this topic specifically (with great detail) at the nebraska state beekeeping conference this coming weekend.  we will post a video of the talk online, and likely write up a short paper of sorts after the fact.

this is, i think, the most understudied, interesting, and complex aspect of what goes on in the beehive....one that many are not aware of.

deknow

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