One of the main driving forces of the Apis mellifera colony losses reported worldwide is the nutritional stress associated with monoculture areas. We previously demonstrated under field conditions that nutritional stress that occurred during the fall impacts honey bee colony strength and health in the short and long-term. Pollen supplementation to colonies during a nutritionally stressful period increased adult and brood populations and decreased the infection level of Nosema ceranae. When brood production continues in the winter season, pollen supplementation during this period could be another strategy to help colonies recover from the negative impact of the nutritional stress that occurred in the fall. Thus, in this study, we analyzed if supplementing colonies with polyfloral pollen in winter could be a useful strategy to mitigate fall nutritional stress. Firstly, colonies were exposed to a natural nutritional stress scenario. Secondly, they were relocated and divided into two experimental groups: one group was supplemented with polyfloral pollen, while the other remained as a control. The strength and health of the colonies were analyzed. Pollen supplementation increased adults and brood populations in the coldest months and it did not affect the infection level of Nosema spp. or RNA viruses. These results suggest that the negative impact of nutritional stress during the fall is difficult to mitigate during the winter.

全世界报告的意大利蜜蜂蜂群损失的主要驱动力之一是与单一栽培地区相关的营养压力。我们之前在野外条件下证明，秋季期间发生的营养压力会在短期和长期内影响蜜蜂蜂群的强度和健康。在营养紧张时期向菌落补充花粉增加了成虫和育雏种群并降低了Nosema ceranae的感染水平. 当育雏在冬季继续进行时，在此期间补充花粉可能是帮助蜂群从秋季营养压力的负面影响中恢复的另一种策略。因此，在这项研究中，我们分析了在冬季用多花花粉补充菌落是否是缓解秋季营养压力的有用策略。首先，殖民地暴露于自然营养压力情景。其次，将它们重新安置并分成两个实验组：一组补充多种花粉，而另一组则作为对照。分析了菌落的强度和健康状况。在最冷的月份补充花粉增加了成虫和育雏数量，但并不影响Nosema的感染水平属 或 RNA 病毒。这些结果表明，秋季营养压力的负面影响很难在冬季减轻。