Sunflower Pollen and Bumble Bee Health: Mechanisms, Modifiers and Trade-Offs.

ABSTRACT: Bumble bees face increasing pressure from interacting stressors, including pathogens, nutritional limitations, and agricultural intensification. Among natural dietary factors that modulate disease, Asteraceae pollen-particularly sunflower (Helianthus annuus)-has repeatedly been shown to reduce infection by the trypanosomatid Crithidia bombi in bumble bees under laboratory conditions. Yet the mechanisms, generality, and ecological relevance of these effects remain incompletely resolved, and field-based evidence from European systems, particularly for Bombus terrestris, is scarce. Here, I synthesise current knowledge on how Asteraceae pollen traits influence bumble bee health, focusing on the interplay between pollen morphology, phenolamide chemistry, nutrient com

SUBMITTER: Odemer R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12910244 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature