Bee populations, both wild and commercially supplied, are on the decline. A
diminishing availability of required nutritional components may be a major contributing
factor. Understanding how bees are able to both detect and remember the locations of these
dietary macromolecules will be a valuable contribution to sustainability efforts worldwide.
To learn more about how bees detect and assess necessary pollen fats, I explored the
potential of bees to form associations between these nutrients and visual stimuli. I found
strong evidence that bees can detect pollen based fatty acids and that the presence of these
compounds increases bee learning and perhaps memory. Additionally, I found evidence
suggesting that fatty acid consumption may increase bee longevity. My research suggests
that pollen fats are a chemical attractant potentially important to pollinator species
