Why record colours? The plant species from which pollen loads have been collected by bees can be discovered by identifying pollen grains from the pollen loads under a microscope. This is usually accurate and can often identify the pollen to genus or species, but it is very time consuming and requires considerable expertise. Identification of pollen loads by their colour is much faster, if sometimes less exact. It can be assisted by knowledge of the flowering times of the local flora and of the characteristic sizes, shapes and textures of pollen loads from particular species.