Methods in melissopalynology: colour determination of pollen pellets for colour vision deficient individuals

Abstract

Colour is commonly used as an initial proxy for the determination of botanical origin for pollen pellets collected by honeybees. However, individuals with Colour Vision Deficiency (colour blindness) will struggle with this determination. Here we present a simple and reproducible technique to enable inclusive participation of all individuals in the determination of pollen pellet colour. The proposed method makes use of colour determination applications on smartphones and is therefore appropriate to use in large scale citizen science projects. We also highlight the need to think inclusively when reporting and presenting colour-based research findings in melissopalynology and honeybee research.