>
> Does this mean we should be augmenting our bees'  diet with multi vitamin
> and mineral supplements?


I wrote about the implications of Ziska's findings in ABJ last October, and
have wondered why there has not been more discussion on this subject.  If
the drop in protein content in goldenrod holds true for other pollens as
well, it would mean that bees nowadays need to work half again as hard to
get the same amount of protein as they did when I first started beekeeping.

Not sure about vitamins Peter, but clearly yes to protein, zinc (a
component of vitellogenin), perhaps iron and some other trace elements.

The thing to keep in mind is that colony health, productivity, and
resistance to parasites and disease is all about protein intake, due to the
huge demand for protein to maintain the recruitment rate of replacement
workers.  Lower-protein pollen requires more expended energy by the colony
at several steps in order to maintain the same amount of protein income.
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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