Orange pollen

[Tremyfro]

Could be scabious, asparagus....thought that was over tho, buttercup, rock rose...to name but a few....fab fun chart.

 

[Ruary]

Fascinating.
You have to dilute your honey then centrifuge or sediment the pollen out. Staining helps then look with a fairly powerful microscope
If Ruary is about he's the microscopy expert.
I've just treated myself to Pollen identification for beekeepers from Northern Bee Books.

Came in late, if you can find a pollen load then the job is much quicker.
Take the load and place in on a slide add some water rand mix it up so that the pollen separates into grains. Using a glass rod place a drop of the suspension onto a clean slide. Dry on a hot plate ( upturned tin over a light bulb) add a drop of stained glycerine jelly and cover with a cover glass. Examine at X400. Use Sawyer's book pollen identification for a data base key.

 

[kazmcc]

Just had a look at a site which shows what different pollen looks like under the microscope. Looks like a lot to learn and understand, with lots of words I have no hope of remembering with my dwindling memory lol. There used to be a brilliant pollen guide, could have sworn it was Bristols site, but they've changed it I think.

 

[REDWOOD]

Came in late, if you can find a pollen load then the job is much quicker.
Take the load and place in on a slide add some water rand mix it up so that the pollen separates into grains. Using a glass rod place a drop of the suspension onto a clean slide. Dry on a hot plate ( upturned tin over a light bulb) add a drop of stained glycerine jelly and cover with a cover glass. Examine at X400. Use Sawyer's book pollen identification for a data base key.

I'll have a go at that the weekend

 

[Headnavigator]

Came in late, if you can find a pollen load then the job is much quicker.
Take the load and place in on a slide add some water rand mix it up so that the pollen separates into grains. Using a glass rod place a drop of the suspension onto a clean slide. Dry on a hot plate ( upturned tin over a light bulb) add a drop of stained glycerine jelly and cover with a cover glass. Examine at X400. Use Sawyer's book pollen identification for a data base key.

Just the sort of clear and extremely useful answer that I delight in from forum members. Thank you so much Ruary, I shall have a go!

 

[biglongdarren]

We're at about 900ft here, in North Wales and there isn't much of anything that I can see. There's some heather about 2 miles away but I don't think they've found it. However, the village is about a mile and a half away and its several degrees warmer down there. Somebody must have Dahlias on the go.

My bees are also sited on the heather and they were bringing in orange pollen on friday, they were flying strongly up the mountains. I walked up and saw them working on a what could only be described as very young compact gorse bushes?? if not gorse it was something very similar in appearance.

Darren

 

[MuswellMetro]

My local bees are bringing in orange pollen from small yellow flowers in roadside verges, and i think it is Autumn Hawkbit

http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk/content/autumn-hawkbit

 

[biglongdarren]

dwarf gorse its called.

Darren

 

[madasafish]

Pollen Guides


Bristol BBKA http://tinyurl.com/nmdfjqk see menu on top....

Sheffield BBKA http://tinyurl.com/kkc6neb