There will be no honey if protein is not available to developing bees. Thus, flow of pollen is just as important, if not more so, than that from nectar. Although the dates correlated with the traditional plants present at the time, the study did not give information about specific plants and how much they might have contributed to the protein supply. The time to trap pollen corresponds to April through early May and September. Besides timing and quantity, the quality of the pollen flow these days needs much more examination.
Pollen is plant sperm.
Recent investigations on non-viability of sperm in animals from alligators to humans, thought to be the consequences of chemical contamination in both air and water, may also apply to that of plants. Though not as vulnerable as other kinds of sperm, being housed in a tough outer shell, pollen is nevertheless still a far more fragile commodity than honey. Lack of pollen and consequent inadequate nutrition has been implicated in many conditions that have defied description. Some pollen is even toxic to colonies. Perhaps the most innovative use of pollen and protein monitoring occurs in Australia.