Pollen is well-known as being the brood-rearing stimulant in Spring, and so I can see no obvious reason why it doesn't do exactly the same in Autumn (Fall). My girls are also currently bringing-in shed-loads of pollen on warm days - whether they're rearing brood or not as a result, I really couldn't say - I just leave them to do whatever they want. Nothing is going to change by poking my head in a hive at this time of the year, so why disturb them ?
Where there's pollen, there's almost bound to be some nectar - maybe not a lot in comparison with earlier in the year - some heathers for example flower from November right through to March, and there's also late flowering sunflowers, ornamental asters and so on. I have several patches of borage which are flowering right now, and the modest air frost we had last night (1st of the season) doesn't seem to have affected them.
I did a Google for Charente - it's halfway down France's Atlantic coastline - average November temperatures are 13 C high, 6 C low. Those are temperatures we (in the UK) often see in Summer ! Sounds like a very nice place to live. My guess is that there is still some useful forage available in that locale.
LJ
"The Charente Maritime is one of the sunniest areas of France, second in fact only to the Riviera. It benefits from a microclimate produced by the Gulf Stream ..."