Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association |
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Hotlanta HoneyUrban and suburban Atlanta offer many different nectar and pollen sources that attract honey bees. A botany professor friend of ours analyzed a small number of honey samples submitted by our members. We think you will find his findings and comments about these various honeys interesting. Keep in mind that the pollens present in a honey tell you where the bees have been and which air borne pollens were in the environment at the time the nectar was gathered. These pollens are not, however, all indicative of the nectars from which the honey bees made the honey. These analyses were done with a light microscope. Hotlanta Honey, for sure! Pollen sample #1 "This light sample contained pollens from holly and tulip poplar, as well as quite a bit of fabaceous pollen (clover or locust or some other legume). There was also quite a bit of pollen from either pecan or hickory which look the same. Some magnolia pollen was also present, as was a little bit of privet pollen. There was also one type of pollen that I could not identify, but it was unusually large and round. It definitely isn’t from a typical woodland source, so I’m guessing that it must be some ornamental plant that I haven’t encountered before. All in all, this seemed like a good typical woodland mixture." Pollen samples #2 and #3 “I examined both of your specimens today, and they certainly were interesting! Your light sample was a mixture of many, many different pollen sources. The most common pollens I found were of two types: One group consisted of narrow fabaceous pollen grains that could be clover, locust, or some other legume. The other group consisted of broad roseaceous pollen grains found on most fruit trees, like apple, plum, cherry, etc., or possibly blackberry, or other rose family plants. It is difficult to narrow down these types of grains since they are so much alike. In addition, I did find a few grains of tulip poplar, but they certainly did not predominate in this sample. In addition, I found some grass pollen (probably incidental), and quite a bit of ericaceous pollen (possibly Rhododendron, Azalea, or some other ornamental heath?). Also found was a lily type of pollen, probably Solomon’s Seal or a relative, as well as spiderwort pollen. Sprinkled in the sample were a few magnolia pollen grains and some from asters (or daisies). On top of this, there were at least six more types that I couldn’t identify, most likely from ornamental plants. I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of this honey, so it appears that the wildflower/woodland combination in your area really worked out well this year! The dark sample was not nearly as diverse as the light sample. This sample was definitely mostly tulip poplar. But there was also quite a bit of black gum mixed in (this tree is often a prominent under-story tree in the mountains and the piedmont). There were also grains from magnolia. One of the grain types in this sample came from a mint of some type. I couldn’t identify which kind, but it is possibly ornamental, or it could have been lyre-leaf sage, a very common mint in this area in the spring. There were also some leguminous grains (clover or locust or other legume), and an unidentifiable aster, also possibly ornamental.” Pollen sample #4 “A very interesting sample! Just as you suspected, camellia pollen predominated. It outnumbered most of the other grains that were present in the sample. Also found in your sample were pine (probably an airborne contaminant), fabaceous pollen (possibly clover, black locust, etc.), dandelion, magnolia, tulip poplar, holly, buttercup, and a few grains of what looks to be privet. There were also quite a few others that I couldn’t identify – possibly other exotic ornamental plants. Good luck with your honey production!” Pollen sample #5 ”You had a VERY interesting sample with many, many different types of pollen grains. There was no single grain that stood out. Among the many pollens were magnolia, buttercup, rosaceous pollen (possibly blackberry, strawberry, fruit trees, etc.), tulip poplar, grass (probably windblown contaminant), leguminous pollen (possibly clover, black locust, etc.), pine (probably another windblown contaminant), and many other grains that I could not identify. Many were quite unfamiliar to me, leading me to believe that there must be quite a few exotic ornamentals in your area that the bees have visited. There were at least fourteen different pollen types and I probably missed some others. All-in-all a good mixed sample! Good luck with this year’s crop!” Pollen sample #6 "I have looked at your sample of spring 2007 honey from Brasstown. First, the bad news. I did find some mountain laurel pollen in your sample, which was reflected a bit in the taste of the honey. I’m not sure how much of the sample would have come from mountain laurel nectar, but the number of grains of pollen was low. Most of your sample was composed of fabaceous and rosaceous pollen, which could include, but isn’t limited to, clover, black locust (fabaceous), and blackberry, strawberry, fruit trees (rosaceous). I found a few poplar grains, but not a significant amount, so there must have been a few blooms that escaped the frost in your area. I also found quite a lot of dandelion pollen, some holly pollen, some black gum pollen, and quite a bit of buttercup pollen. It would be very difficult for me to assess the “type” of honey, but I think you would be safe to say that it is “wildflower/woodland” honey. Unfortunately, the presence of mountain laurel in the sample has affected the taste somewhat. I hope this helps." Pollen sample #7 “Your dark specimen seemed to be largely woodland in nature, with large amounts of tulip poplar pollen. Our poplar crop in the mountains was horrible this year, but it appears that the poplar flowered pretty well in the Atlanta area. Most of the specimens I have examined seemed to contain substantial amounts of it. I also found some magnolia pollen in your specimen. Magnolia can impart a dark color to honey as well. I couldn’t find many other recognizable grains in this sample, but I did find three types that I didn’t recognize. My pollen key did me no good as I tried to figure these out. These other pollens may be from some exotic plant species that are growing in your area, or they may possibly be from species that I haven’t found in my reference slides. These additional pollens were not present in nearly the same quantities, though, as the poplar grains, which seemed to be the dominant source. The only other pollen grain that can sometimes be confused with poplar are those of some buttercup species which could also be present, but I would be willing to wager that poplar was #1. I hope this helps! Good luck!” Pollen sample #8 “I have just had a chance to look at your two samples. In the first sample I saw quite a bit of tulip poplar pollen, and some holly and black gum. In addition, I found quite a bit of rosaceous pollen (possibly blackberry or fruit trees?), and quite a bit of dandelion pollen. There were at least three or four other grains that I couldn't identify. These might be exotic species that are in the area, or species that I haven't seen in my mountain samples. Your second sample was a tad lighter than the first one, even though it came from the same hive. There was some tulip poplar in this sample, but not as much as the first sample. This may account for the difference in color. There was no black gum or dandelion in the second specimen. Instead, I saw quite a bit of fabaceous pollen (possibly clover or black locust). I didn't see this type of pollen in the first sample. Pretty interesting. It looks like the bees collected the nectars for these two honey samples either from different locations, or there may have been a difference in time. They are both good honeys nonetheless. The darker sample had more of that "poplar twang" than the lighter sample. Good luck to you!”
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