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Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee Cocoon Testing Lab Results
Northwestern USA

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Notes:

I also report on the averages for local bees over the years, so growers can compare their bee cells with the rest of the area, and so we can see trends over time.

Note that less than 50% of the cells contain live larvae. Bee losses can be attributed to chalkbrood disease, parasites, and other factors. (Read the report from the Parma Cocoon Testing Lab)

The largest mortality category is % pollen balls. There are many possible causes of this category; and probably different factors cause pollen balls in different fields and years. One possibility is insufficient nectar, because many of these pollen balls are very dry when they are cut open.