wax logo

Microscopy

Attending a course at KRSC inspired the purchase of a stereo-microscope and compound microscope. Brunel Microscopes have a great selection, the two I choose are the SP150 Trinocular Compound Microscope,
and a MX7T Stereo-microscope.

Microscopy of Pollen
Since they have arrived I have collected pollen from a handful of different flowers, the pollen has then been stained and mounted onto microscope slide. I hope to continue collecting pollen and increasing my pollen slide collection.

Why?

Well, I have already identified what my bees were foraging on by collecting a pollen load from a bee and identifying the pollen to be Ivy. Identification is determined by a variety of pollen characteristics, including size, shape and colour.

               Common Jasmine pollen pic                                                  Jasmine flower pic

As an example, the pictures are of stained Common Jasmine pollen at x400 and a picture of the flower.
The pollen is approximately 40µm in diameter.


 

Microscopy of Bees


To help with explanations and identification, I have also purchased a number of books, these are given below.

    Pollen Identification for Beekeepers by Rex Sawyer

    The Pollen Grain Drawings of Dorothy Hodges.


The links on the Microscopy of Pollen and Bees provide further details of my adventures.