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Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Collection and Identification of Pollen from Honey Bee Colonies
Published on: January 19, 2021
Why is pollen in Camellia oleifera inedible to honeybees?
Jannathan Mamut1, Wei-Bing Zhang1, Lu-Lu Tang2
1Xinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Biology, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, 830052, China.
Abstract:
This Commentary examines a recent study that addressed a long-standing controversy: Is the lethal effect of Tea-oil Camellia on honeybee larvae due to nectar or pollen toxicity? Flowers of Camellia oleifera are adapting to bird pollination, evolving 'anti-bee' traits such as theasaponin-containing pollen, which is toxic to bee larvae.
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