Pollen Analysis of Natural Bee Honeys from Different Regions of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Pollen analysis plays an important role when identifying the botanical and geographical origins of bee honey. The aim of the present study was to identify the major plant sources that contribute to the increase of yield of honey which was obtained from selected regions of Sri Lanka such as Ella, Elpitiya, Welimada, Minipe, Loggaloya, Anuradhapura, Kothmale, Haputhale and Nuwara Eliya. The morphology of pollen was observed with light microscope and total pollen counts were expressed in pollen percentage frequency. Based on the analysis, Welimada, Haputhale, Nuwara Eliya and Loggaloya samples were categorized as unifloral honey and remaining honeys were multifloral. Nuwara Eliya, Elpitiya, and Kothmale bee honey samples were categorized as good quality honey because they had absolute pollen count >1,000,000/10g. There were 82 pollen types belonging to 29 families identified through the study. Among different plant families, Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Malvaceae families highly contributed for nectar and pollen sources of honey bee in the areas examined in this study. Through identifying the major plant sources for honey bees, this study demonstrated the potentiality for expanding and sustainable bee keeping practices in Sri Lanka.