Our pollen count test provides a count of the number of pollen grains per gram of honey, and identifies the pollen grains that are most common in the honey sample. The test is often used to identify the flowers that bees have been visiting when collecting nectar, and is often requested for honey that does not meet the MPI definition of being a mono-floral or multi-floral manuka. Pollen count results can be needed for honey that is being exported to some overseas countries.
Interpreting the results of pollen counts is not simple, as some pollens can be over-represented or under-represented in honey (compared with the source of the nectar in the honey) depending on the characteristics of the particular flowers or plants involved. There have been some interesting articles on this in the NZ Beekeeper Journal in recent years, you can access these using the following links:
What's the use of Pollen? Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd (Trees for Bees Botanist), New Zealand BeeKeeper May 2017
How to Decipher a Pollen Profile, Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd (Trees for Bees Botanist), Dr Ian Raine (GNS Science Palynologist), Dr Xun Li (GNS Science Palynolygist), New Zealand BeeKeeper October 2017
Pondering over and under Pollen Representation in Nectar, Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd (Trees for Bees Botanist), Dr Ian Raine (GNS Science Palynologist), Dr Xun Li (GNS Science Palynolygist), New Zealand BeeKeeper Nov 2017
Pricing and Turnaround Time
Please contact Analytica for current pricing and TATs on 07 974 4740 or at sales@analytica.co.nz