simple pollen slides

[Dave /Oscroft]

Hi All,
having bought a SP22 microscope from Brunel, I need some guidance on using it, How do I make simple pollen slides, can I put the pollen into a watch glass add some iso propel alcohol to clean it siphon the excess out then add the prepared pollen glycerine jelly, warmed of course on the warming plate, and then put it onto the slide and then cover with glass slip ?

Dave

 

[WoodenBeam]

Might be worth having a word with your local association - ours has a number of microscopists (spellings?..) who are only to willing to help.

 

[MuswellMetro]

simplest way is to place about a gram of prepared fuchsin in gelatin into a petri dish and heat on you warming plate until it has melted

then put the petri dish aside to set into a thin film of fuschin gelatin, once set score this film into approximately 1mm squares

try different pollens, preferable direct from the flower first until you can make good slides

warm up you glass slide and coverslips on your warming plate

take a 1mm square of the fuschin gel from the petri dish with tweezer dab it direct on the pollen in the flower or a bee's crushed pollen load

place this 1mm sqare covered in pollen on the warmed slide on the hotplate and WAIT until it has melted, place warm cover slip on top of the gell with tweezer, lighlty press leave for a few minutes for the fuschin to enter the pollen

LEAVE to cool, then look at it under the microscope.you will see the pollen and on some oily pollens the yellow pollen oil , over time you will find the right amount of 1mm square of gell to use and the right amount of pollen

now you can try washing off the oil using the watch glass method and pick up the washed pollen from the watch glass with a 1mm square of fuschsin but for quick identification i use the direct gell to flower pollen without washing