Pollen from multiple sunflower cultivars and species reduces a common bumblebee gut pathogen

Pathogens are one of the factors driving pollinator declines. Diet can play an important role in mediating pollinator health and resistance to pathogens. Sunflower pollen ( ) dramatically reduced a gut pathogen ( ) of previously, but the breadth of this effect was unknown. We tested whether pollen from nine cultivars, four wild populations, and two spp., reduced in compared to mixed wildflower pollen and buckwheat pollen ( ) as controls. We also compared hand- and honeybee-collected pollen (which contains nectar) to assess whether diet effects on pathogens were due to pollen or nectar. All and pollen reduced by 20-40-fold compared to buckwheat pollen, and all but three taxa reduced compared to wildflower pollen. We found no consistent differences between hand- and bee-collected pollen, suggesting that pollen alone can reduce infection. Our results indicate an important role of pollen diet for bee health and potentially broad options within the Asteraceae for pollinator plantings to manage bee disease.