We just had an unseasonably warm weekend in northeast Ohio.  When  I checked my bees, I was surprised to see them bringing in what  appeared to be pollen.  There is nothing obvious blooming in the  area.  I have a few very early blooming crocuses in the yard and  even they're just beginning to come up.
  
  I've heard on this list that bees will bring in not just pollen but  anything that is about the right size and/or texture.  If I  remember right, that was a key argument in why some of the pesticide  dusts are so toxic.  I keep the bees in suburbia and can't help  but wonder if the bees are bringing in something other than  pollen.  Lord only knows what kinds of road dust and other  chemicals are in the area.  Thinking back on it, I've had real  problems with pollen-bound frames.  They fill frames solid and  never use it.  I'm now starting to wonder if that was pollen at  all.
  
  1.  What are the odds that the bees are bringing in something other than pollen?  
  2.  Is there a field-test to find out?  (I'm afraid I don't have access to  a chemistry lab or even to a particularly powerful microscope.)  
  3.  Is it a reasonable hypothesis that bees kept in more built-up  environments may be at greater risk of bringing in non-pollen?
  4.  If I do nothing, will they eventually discard the  non-pollen?  Or is it possible that is a contributing factor to  the pollen-bound frames?


Mike Rossander
		
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Mail
Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail  makes sharing a breeze. 

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---