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All 89 bee plants

Oilseed rape pollen

Brassica napus

Intense bright yellow, in the yellow range.

FloweringApril to June
PollenVery good
NectarYes
SeasonSpring, Summer
WhereFarmland

Fields of it dominate spring forage on arable ground, and it sets fast in the comb.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in flower
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons

Easy to mistake for these

Closest pollen colours in our set, measured the same way the pollen identifier scores a match. Colour alone will not settle it, so check the flowering months and what is actually growing near your hives.

Willow (goat)March to AprilCharlockApril to JulyWinter aconiteFebruary to MarchEvening primroseJune to SeptemberPrivetJune to July

Confused with in the field

Noted by name in our own records, rather than worked out from the colour.

CharlockLemon yellow

Out at about the same time

ApplePale creamy yellowAshDull olive greenBerberisDull olive greenBluebellCreamy whiteCharlockLemon yellowCherry laurelDull greenish yellow
Saw a load like this going in?
Sample the colour against all 89 plants, then keep a forage record per hive.
Pollen identifier