Melissopalynology of honey from Ponteland, UK, shows the role of Brassica napus in supporting honey production in a suburban to rural setting

ABSTRACT

Whether honeybees utilise oilseed rape (Brassica napus), and thus come into contact with neonicotinoid pesticides, has been questioned in the UK. Here we report the melissopalynology of honey samples taken from hives in the northeast of the UK from 2014 to 2015. The results show that Brassica pollen is predominant in honey extractions from June, following the mass bloom of oilseed rape. Honey extractions from July and September show more diverse sources of nectar from entomophilous crops, weeds and garden plants. Our results clearly show that honeybees will extensively utilise oilseed rape mass blooms in spring, and any change in the current European Union moratorium on neonicotinoids should be carefully considered. We also confirm the importance of gardens (when planted with ‘bee-friendly flowers’) in sustaining pollinators within suburban to rural environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Honey
• oilseed rape
• honeybee
• northeast UK
• pollination

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Les Elliot for supplying the honey analysed in this study. Jessica McCoy and Jessica Partington thank the Nuffield Foundation for supporting their summer placement at Northumbria University as part of the Nuffield Research Placements scheme. Alice Dalgleish is grateful to the Department of Geography, Northumbria University, for supporting her attendance of The Micropalaeontological Society Palynology Group meeting 2016 where an earlier version of this work was presented. We thank Jen O’ Keefe and an anonymous reviewer for their thoughtful, insightful and helpful comments that greatly improved this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Pound

MATTHEW POUND is a senior lecturer in physical geography at Northumbria University. His main research is on Cenozoic palaeoenvironments and palaeoclimates, but he is also interested in palynomorphs from honey and faeces – you have to have a hobby.

Alice Dalgleish

ALICE DALGLEISH is a recent BSc graduate in geography (2016) from Northumbria University with a main focus in palaeoecology. She has enjoyed being able to continue her interests in pollen through this paper.

Jessica McCoy

JESSICA MCCOY is an aspiring research scientist, aiming to study toward a BSc in physical geography at Northumbria University. She has a keen interest in melissopalynology and ecology.

Jessica Partington

JESSICA PARTINGTON is a student at Newcastle Sixth Form College who plans to study physical anthropology at higher education. She has a keen interest in human biology and the skeletal morphology of early hominids.