Studies on the Honey-Sac Contents and Pollen Loads of Honeybees 1. Honey-Sac Contents of Bees in the Hive

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Abstract
The weight, and the sugar and pollen-grain concentrations, of the honey-sac contents of worker bees caught on unsealed honey and on unsealed brood cells in 8 colonies were determined throughout two active seasons. Colony growth and daily nectar income were also recorded. The weight of the honey-sac contents was related positively to nectar flows, and was higher for workers caught on unsealed honey than for those caught on brood; the mean sugar concentrations were also higher in the workers on unsealed honey. Sugar concentrations were generally higher in the morning than in the afternoon; honey-sac weights were more variable. The honey-sac contents of workers caught on unsealed brood had a higher concentration of pollen grains than those of workers caught on unsealed honey, presumably because the former bees were supplying the brood with high-protein food.