Hangry bees: Pollen dearth impacts honey bee (Apis mellifera) behavior and physiology

Elizabeth M. Walsh; Arián Avalos; Kate Ihle; Pierre Lau; Michael Simone-Finstrom; Anabelle A. Acosta; Mandy Frake; Sharon O’Brien; Giovanni Tundo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0338712

Loading metrics

Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Hangry bees: Pollen dearth impacts honey bee (Apis mellifera) behavior and physiology

Elizabeth M. Walsh ,

Roles Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: elizabeth.m.walsh@usda.gov

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6209-7547

⨯
Arián Avalos,

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4011-3099

⨯
Kate Ihle,

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1032-6744

⨯
Pierre Lau,

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystem Research Unit, United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Stoneville, Mississippi, United States of America
⨯
Michael Simone-Finstrom,

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2938-9788

⨯
Anabelle A. Acosta,

Roles Investigation

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9932-148X

⨯
Mandy Frake,

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
⨯
Sharon O’Brien,

Roles Investigation

Affiliation United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Unit, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
⨯
Giovanni Tundo

Roles Investigation

Affiliation Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystem Research Unit, United States of America Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Stoneville, Mississippi, United States of America
⨯

Hangry bees: Pollen dearth impacts honey bee (Apis mellifera) behavior and physiology

Elizabeth M. Walsh,
Arián Avalos,
Kate Ihle,
Pierre Lau,
Michael Simone-Finstrom,
Anabelle A. Acosta,
Mandy Frake,
Sharon O’Brien,
Giovanni Tundo

Published: January 16, 2026
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0338712

Reader Comments (0)

Post a new comment on this article

Subject Areas
?

For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here.
We want your feedback. Do these Subject Areas make sense for this article? Click the target next to the incorrect Subject Area and let us know. Thanks for your help!

Bees
Is the Subject Area "Bees" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Pollen
Is the Subject Area "Pollen" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Honey bees
Is the Subject Area "Honey bees" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Gene expression
Is the Subject Area "Gene expression" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Aggression
Is the Subject Area "Aggression" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Body weight
Is the Subject Area "Body weight" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Larvae
Is the Subject Area "Larvae" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.
Lipids
Is the Subject Area "Lipids" applicable to this article?

Thanks for your feedback.