The consumption of high-quality pollen induces the development of the hypopharyngeal glands in young honey bee workers. As protein-rich secretions from these glands are an important component of larval food, a direct relationship between pollen supply and brood rearing can be expected. Consequently, the availability of pollen is likely to be a central parameter influencing the development of honey bee colonies.
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Keller et al. (2005) studied this question.
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