Pollen Colors

[Heritage]

Is there a chart of pollen colors online anywhere? I've searched a little, but couldn't find what I was looking for.

I have some pollen in my hives that is almost black and I was wondering what it would be. Thanks.

[Dave W]

Heritage . . .

First, may I ask, "Are you sure it's pollen"?

Second, Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum)
has dark brown pollen, according to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen_source - Accessed 5/13/06

[BerkeyDavid]

Good question. Great answer. That is an awesome Wikipedia entry. THanks Dave

[Heritage]

"First, may I ask, "Are you sure it's pollen"?"

I won't say 100% sure it is pollen, but I can't think of anything else it would be. If it were yellow or orange, I would say yes, but being brownish-black, and never having seen pollen that dark, I might hesitate, but it does have the same consistency of the yellow pollen in a couple of my combs.

There is a lot of crimson clover in bloom nearby, but I didn't think honeybees could do much with them... Thanks.

[Alienor]

Our second Book is a welcome reprint of William KirkÂ’s Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee by IBRA:
A Colour Guide to Pollen Loads of the Honey Bee (2nd edition)
by William Kirk

Beekeepers everywhere are fascinated by the sources of pollen brought back to the hive by their bees. Being able to identify the plants producing this pollen is the key to unlocking important information about bee forage in your area. Dr Kirk and his team have painstakingly collected pollen loads from bees from Britain and Germany, giving us surprising evidence of the natural variation in the colours seen at the hive entrance. The guide contains a key of 500 colours, and describes the pollen loads of 268 plant species found in Europe. There is also an account of how this book is useful as a practical guide to pollen identification. The text is given in English, French and German, because of the wide demand for such a book throughout Europe.

The new second edition includes updates and corrections of the first edition. It also benefits from the many advances in colour printing technology that have occurred over the twelve years since the first edition came out in 1994. The new edition is printed more accurately and should replace copies of the first edition, which may have changed colour through fading and paper aging over the intervening period.

Available from Northern Bee Books, Scout Bottom Farm, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge HX7 5JS
At a price of £16 post paid (UK)
Phone +44 (0) 1422 882751 Fax +44 (0) 1422 886157

Would this be interesting for you?

[Alienor]

Addition: here in my area ivy is blooming and the pollen is nearly black. The bees love it.