Dr. Vaughn Bryant of Texas A&M University announces that his Palynology Research Facility is now once again accepting honey samples to analyze for pollen composition.
Dr. Vaughn Bryant of Texas A&M University announces that his Palynology Research Facility is now once again accepting honey samples to analyze for pollen composition. Bryant passes along the following instructions for the sampling and testing process: Drawing the samples. Send no less than 30-50 grams of honey per sample that have come directly from the hive and have not been strained or filtered. Those processes may remove some or all of the pollen, making an accurate analysis impossible. Minimal removal of bee and wax fragments may be allowable. We have published an article I can send you on how to properly filter honey. Sending instructions. Send complete instructions of what you want done, your mailing address, and your email address. Include important information about the origin of the honey sample. Knowing the origin will speed our analysis.
If you are looking for avocado pollen in your honey, please advise – this has to be tested in a different manner. Preparing samples for shipping. We suggest sending in plastic or glass containers, not loose honey in plastic bags. Pack samples securely so they will not break and put each sample container separately into plastic Ziploc bags so no dirt will be lost from or cross-contaminate samples. Send your samples Priority Mail or first-class mail to: Palynology Laboratory, Anthropology Department, Texas A&M University (TAMU-4352), College Station, TX, 77843-4352. Turnaround time. Usually I can complete your analysis within 10-14 days of receipt of sample. If you have an emergency reason for needing results more quickly, call and we can discuss it. (Editor’s note: Please be considerate of Dr. Bryant’s teaching load and personal commitments.) Costs and payment. You can send a check with the samples or receive a bill when the analysis is finished. Fees: Domestic honey (continental US and Alaska) and honey from Canada, $80/sample. Honey from Mexico and Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Hawaii, Middle East, New Zealand, and Oceania, $100/sample. Pollen extraction and analysis of pollen from pollen pellets, $150/sample.
Make checks payable to Palynology Research – TAMU. No credit cards. Palynology Laboratory, Texas A&M Anthropology Office (979) 845-5242. Dr. Vaughn Bryant: Fax (979) 845-4070, cell (979) 574-8467, email: vbryant@tamu.edu.
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