Effects of diets containing different concentrations of pollen and pollen substitutes on physiology, Nosema burden, and virus titers in the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.)

Colonies of Apis mellifera provided with natural forage show decreased pathogen loads and increased overwintering success when compared with colonies provisioned with supplemental protein diets. Despite the potential benefits of a pollen-based diet, protein supplements are commonly used in colonies throughout the spring and increasingly through the fall and winter as the cost of pollen is greater than that of supplements and concerns exist over...