Pollen in Western Australia

Oliver v DeGroot

Any investigation into bee pollen will lead you to DeGroot’s amino acid ratios required for good bee health. Recently while testing pollen substitutes Randy Oliver noticed that DeGroot’s measurements used tryptophan as a starting point, tryptophan is found in small amounts and not reliable to measure. Oliver decided to start from leucine that is most abundant and easy to measure, his ratios came out a bit different, the most noticeable was the halving of the required isoleucine that s found lacking in Australian natives. Oliver’s ratios are a closer match to that found in Royal Jelly and the best performing pollen substitutes.
See Re-interpreting DeGroot’s findings.

Poor Fair Good Exelent

Protein in Popular Pollens

Source Protein Fats DeGroot Oliver

Protein

Crude protein levels should be 25% for good bee health and long life, but pollen with levels between 20% and 25% are ok if they are in abundant supply.

Protein levels need to be looked at together with amino acid levels.

Protein

Lupins 34.00
Paterson's Curse 33.00
Banksias 32.00
Spotted Gum 29.00
Marri(Redgum) 27.70
Wattles 27.00
Yarri(Blackbutt) 26.50
Almonds 25.90
Balansa Clover 25.50
Wild Radish 25.20
White Clover 25.10
Canola 25.00
Karri 25.00
River Red Gum 25.00
Avocado 24.40
Vetch 24.10
Powderbark 23.60
Wandoo 21.80
Jarrah 19.70
Citrus 18.50
Capeweed 17.00
Flatweed 16.50

Fats

It is not fully understanded the benefits of fats for bees, but it is noted that they find pollens with high fats loads very attractive. High fat levels show value in fighting disease and improving the immune system of the bees. Studies showed bees with low-fat pollen and high-fat pollen took 40 and 5,000,000 spores of American Foul Brood to infect larva respectively.

Fats

Flatweed 8.00
Canola 7.00
Capeweed 3.40
Citrus 3.00
River Red Gum 3.00
Lupins 2.90
White Clover 2.50
Almonds 2.30
Banksias 2.10
Balansa Clover 2.00
Karri 1.90
Vetch 1.80
Paterson's Curse 1.71
Spotted Gum 1.70
Marri(Redgum) 1.50
Yarri(Blackbutt) 1.35
Wandoo 1.30
Wattles 1.20
Powderbark 1.02
Jarrah 0.70

Amino Acids

Protein is made up of many amino acids, ten of these are essential for bee development and development drops off very quickly if any of these drops below the minimum. It’s like walking off a cliff rather then a linear decline. In combination with other pollens these deficiencies may be overcome but would have to be eaten together.

Pass Fails Degroot or Oliver Fails both

Arginine

Karri 10.0
Powderbark 9.9
Marri(Redgum) 9.5
Wandoo 8.1
Yarri(Blackbutt) 7.5
Spotted Gum 7.5
River Red Gum 7.2
Banksias 7.0
Wild Radish 5.8
Almonds 5.4
Canola 5.2
Lupins 5.2
Citrus 5.2
Paterson's Curse 5.0
Avocado 5.0
Wattles 5.0
Balansa Clover 4.8
Vetch 4.7
Jarrah 4.5
White Clover 4.4
Capeweed 3.8
Flatweed 3.5
Oliver 3.2
DeGroot 3.0

Histidine

Marri(Redgum) 4.2
Flatweed 4.1
White Clover 3.5
Yarri(Blackbutt) 3.2
Avocado 2.8
Capeweed 2.7
Spotted Gum 2.7
Banksias 2.5
Karri 2.5
Lupins 2.5
Balansa Clover 2.5
Powderbark 2.4
Paterson's Curse 2.3
Citrus 2.3
Canola 2.2
Wandoo 2.2
Wild Radish 2.1
River Red Gum 2.1
Vetch 2.1
Almonds 1.9
Wattles 1.7
DeGroot 1.5
Oliver 1.5
Jarrah 1.3

Isoleucine

Paterson's Curse 5.1
Marri(Redgum) 5.0
Yarri(Blackbutt) 5.0
Vetch 4.9
Lupins 4.7
Balansa Clover 4.7
Canola 4.5
Almonds 4.3
Citrus 4.2
Banksias 4.0
Karri 4.0
Wild Radish 4.0
Avocado 4.0
Wattles 4.0
DeGroot 4.0
Powderbark 3.9
River Red Gum 3.9
Jarrah 3.8
Spotted Gum 3.7
Wandoo 3.6
Flatweed 3.5
White Clover 3.5
Capeweed 3.2
Oliver 3.0

Leucine

Marri(Redgum) 9.1
Yarri(Blackbutt) 8.8
Lupins 7.9
Spotted Gum 7.4
Vetch 7.4
Balansa Clover 7.2
Citrus 7.2
Powderbark 7.1
Karri 7.1
Canola 7.0
White Clover 7.0
Paterson's Curse 6.9
Wild Radish 6.9
Avocado 6.9
Jarrah 6.5
Banksias 6.5
Wandoo 6.4
Almonds 6.4
River Red Gum 6.2
Capeweed 6.0
Wattles 6.0
Flatweed 5.5
DeGroot 4.5
Oliver 4.5

Lysine

Citrus 9.5
Marri(Redgum) 9.4
Yarri(Blackbutt) 8.6
Canola 8.0
Flatweed 7.6
Capeweed 7.5
Vetch 7.1
Paterson's Curse 6.9
Jarrah 6.9
Almonds 6.4
Powderbark 6.2
Karri 6.2
Banksias 6.0
Spotted Gum 6.0
Wild Radish 6.0
Balansa Clover 6.0
Wandoo 5.8
Avocado 5.6
River Red Gum 5.2
Lupins 5.0
Wattles 4.8
Oliver 4.5
White Clover 4.2
DeGroot 3.0

Methionine

Marri(Redgum) 3.1
Yarri(Blackbutt) 3.0
Karri 2.8
Paterson's Curse 2.6
Almonds 2.6
Powderbark 2.4
Vetch 2.4
Wandoo 2.3
Balansa Clover 2.3
Banksias 2.2
Spotted Gum 2.2
Wattles 2.2
Flatweed 2.1
Lupins 2.1
Citrus 2.1
Capeweed 2.0
Canola 2.0
Jarrah 2.0
River Red Gum 2.0
Wild Radish 1.9
White Clover 1.7
Avocado 1.6
DeGroot 1.5
Oliver 1.5

Phenylalanine

Marri(Redgum) 5.5
Yarri(Blackbutt) 5.0
Lupins 4.6
Vetch 4.6
Balansa Clover 4.4
Citrus 4.3
Paterson's Curse 4.2
Powderbark 4.2
Karri 4.2
Avocado 4.1
Canola 4.0
Jarrah 4.0
Banksias 4.0
Spotted Gum 4.0
Wild Radish 4.0
White Clover 4.0
River Red Gum 4.0
Almonds 3.8
Flatweed 3.8
Wandoo 3.7
Wattles 3.6
Oliver 3.2
Capeweed 2.1
DeGroot 1.5

Threonine

Canola 5.0
Marri(Redgum) 4.8
Yarri(Blackbutt) 4.8
Vetch 4.8
Lupins 4.6
Balansa Clover 4.6
Almonds 4.5
Paterson's Curse 4.4
Citrus 4.4
Avocado 4.3
Capeweed 4.2
Banksias 4.1
White Clover 4.1
Karri 4.0
Spotted Gum 4.0
Wild Radish 4.0
River Red Gum 4.0
Powderbark 3.9
Flatweed 3.7
Jarrah 3.5
Wandoo 3.5
Wattles 3.5
DeGroot 3.0
Oliver 3.0

Tryptophan

Yarri(Blackbutt) 3.5
Jarrah 2.0
Wandoo 1.6
Marri(Redgum) 1.5
Powderbark 1.5
Karri 1.5
Wild Radish 1.2
Avocado 1.0
DeGroot 1.0
Oliver 1.0

Valine

Yarri(Blackbutt) 6.0
Paterson's Curse 5.5
Lupins 5.5
Balansa Clover 5.5
Vetch 5.5
Citrus 5.3
Canola 5.2
Marri(Redgum) 5.1
Almonds 5.1
Banksias 5.0
Powderbark 5.0
Karri 5.0
Spotted Gum 5.0
Wild Radish 5.0
Avocado 5.0
River Red Gum 5.0
Jarrah 4.9
Wandoo 4.7
Capeweed 4.3
Wattles 4.2
White Clover 4.1
Flatweed 4.0
DeGroot 4.0
Oliver 3.5

List of Western Australian Pollens

Name Scientific Protein Fats Comments
Paterson's Curse Echium Plantagineum 33.00 1.71 Paterson’s Curse has a wide range of protein levels from an excellent 28 to an outstanding 37, an excellent pollen for building long living brood.
Marri(Redgum) Corymbia Calophylla 27.70 1.50 Marri is a remarkable pollen, plenty of protein, good amino acid profile, and while not being high in fats, it has the right kind of fatty acids linoleic and linolenic acids that inhibit bacteria and American Foul Brood. Marri also has a very high levels of other things like minerals. Marri builds brood very well, if you can find a flow following Marri to take advantage of the strong growth you will do well.
Capeweed Arctotheca Calendula 17.00 3.40
Canola Brassica Napus 25.00 7.00 Canola is a perfect pollen that has it all and is found in abundance at just the right time of year to build your bees.
Jarrah Eucalyptus Marginata 19.70 0.70 There is nothing good to be said about Jarrah Pollen, low on protein and is compounded by low isoleucine, they collect a lot of it because they cannot get the protein they need. It will raise short lived bees in time for the Marri and stuff your hive full of useless pollen reducing laying area.
Banksias In general 32.00 2.10 There are many different Banksias, most have similar great crude protein levels, but some lack Isoleucine other have plenty. Getting several species together on the heathlands may even this out.This data was collected from several different eastern states species but thought to be similar to Western Australian species. Most Banksias are found in Western Australia
Powderbark Eucalyptus Accedens 23.60 1.02 Powderbark is not a great pollen and is also collected in summer when little or no other pollens exist.
Wandoo Eucalyptus Wandoo 21.80 1.30 Wandoo pollen is very low in Isoleucine, your bees will go backwards on it without some other source of protein.
Almonds Prunus Amygdalus 25.90 2.30 A natural food of honeybees hard to fault. Almonds comfortable exceeds in all amino acid levels.
Flatweed Hypochoeris Radicata 16.50 8.00 No matter what pollen bees are on, they will often get some flatweed as well. Low in protein but high in fats. 
Karri Eucalyptus Diversicolor 25.00 1.90
Yarri(Blackbutt) Eucalyptus Patens 26.50 1.35
Spotted Gum Corymbia Maculata 29.00 1.70
Lupins Lupinus angustifolius 34.00 2.90
Wild Radish Raphanus Raphanistrum 25.20 0.00 Great early pollen in the wheatbelt as soon as it rains.
Avocado Persea Americana 24.40 0.00
White Clover Trifolium Repens 25.10 2.50
Balansa Clover Trifolium Balansae 25.50 2.00
Citrus All Citrus 18.50 3.00
River Red Gum Eucalyptus Camaldulensis 25.00 3.00
Vetch Vicia 24.10 1.80
Wattles In general 27.00 1.20