> The above claim is based on a likely erroneous assumption that a nurse bee can make up for lower-quality pollen by consuming more of it.

Fair enough. However, the reverse may be true also, that too much protein is not a good thing either. See:

Dussutour, A., and S. J. Simpson. "Ant workers die young and colonies collapse when fed a high-protein diet." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences (2012): rspb20120051.

PLB

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