> > >As I am sure you know we have tested virtually all the pollens we are >> likely to come across. I think that it has proved to be a valuable tool. > > Something interesting Geoff, is that when I visited New Zealand recently, they had compiled a list of pollen-producing trees to plant for bee forage, based largely upon the Australian recommendation of protein content--they excluded any pollens that were below 20 or 25% protein (can't remember the exact figure). Several beekeepers protested that the list excluded some pollen sources that were well-known to be excellent for colony buildup. The point was that protein content alone was not necessarily the best indicator for how nutritious a pollen was. What I'm trying to get at, is that pollen analysis is a great tool, but the bottom line is that bee nutritional needs are still not completely understood, and that we must be careful in concluding the degree of nutritional value for any specific pollen. Randy Oliver *********************************************** 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 Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at: http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm