©2003-2008
Marieke Mutsaers

Trichilia ABC - Marieke Mutsaers

Pollen analysis

Honeybees make honey from nectar. In the closed flower bud the anthers are folded up at the very place where nectar is secreted. Some of this pollen is therefore present in the nectar and in the honey made from it. Honey can therefore be examined microscopically to establish the plant species from which the nectar originated. Honeybees also intentionally collect pollen. It sticks to their hairs and is combed off with the forelegs and rolled into balls (pollen loads) into a pollen basket at the hind legs. The pollen is not necessarily collected from the same plants as the nectar. It reflects the vegetation or geographical area rather than the particular nectar source. In the hive the pollen is pushed with the head into the cells of the comb, to be used by the nurse bees for the production of brood food (including royal jelly) in their hypopharyngeal glands. Royal jelly or bee milk is used to feed the young larvae of workers, drones and queen bees.

pollen as seen through microscope

If the bees forage mainly on one nectar source, the honey is called monofloral. Examples are acacia, maple, basswood, and heather in Europe, and citrus, eucalyptus and banana honey in the tropics. Pollen of these plant species must be present in defined quantities for the honey to be labeled as monofloral. In case of a mixed nectar source the honey is named polyfloral. It then can be named after the area, like Netherlands honey, after the season, like summer honey, or after the vegetation type, like miombo woodland honey (East Africa).