> Yet all the above animals clearly are able to
> derive nutritional value from ingested, unchewed food.
>
>
Are we talking about bee bread here or just pollen? We know that bee bread
is pollen with honey and enzymes/acids/... added to it. My 20 year old copy
of the Hive and the Honey Bee says that the stored pollen "probably" is
chemically changed over time because of the additives. So that would seem
to make particle size of less importance other than free surface
reactions.It would also  have a lot to do with the kind of pollen or pollen
substitute and the honey and enzyme effect on them as far as final
nutritive value.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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