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Honey Bee Foraged Pollen Reveals Temporal Changes In Pollen Protein Content And Changes In Forager Choice For Abundant Versus High Protein Flowers, Gabriela Quinlan, Meghan Milbrath, Clint Otto, Autumn Smart, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Robert Cornman, Rufus Isaacs
Honey Bee Foraged Pollen Reveals Temporal Changes In Pollen Protein Content And Changes In Forager Choice For Abundant Versus High Protein Flowers, Gabriela Quinlan, Meghan Milbrath, Clint Otto, Autumn Smart, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Robert Cornman, Rufus Isaacs
Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications
Protein derived from pollen is an essential component of healthy bee diets. Protein content in honey bee foraged pollen varies temporally and spatially, but the drivers underlying this variation remain poorly characterized. We assessed the temporal and spatial variation in honey bee collected pollen in 12 Michigan apiaries over 3 summers (2015–2017). We simultaneously monitored forage in flowering habitats (uncultivated floristically-rich areas and conservation program land) near these apiaries throughout the growing season. We used these data, along with data from the literature on plant pollen protein content, to determine if honey bees collected a greater proportion of pollen from …