Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
Collection and Identification of Pollen from Honey Bee Colonies
Published on: January 19, 2021
A side-by-side comparison of Rotorod and Burkard pollen and spore collections
Howard C Crisp1, Robert A Gomez, Kevin M White
1Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, USA. howard.crisp@us.af.mil
Background:
The Rotorod sampler and Burkard spore trap are 2 devices commonly used to quantify airborne particles.
Objective:
To evaluate the differences in collections between the 2 devices for a wide range of plant pollens and fungal spores.
Methods:
Pollens and spores were collected simultaneously with each device on 167 days during a 1-year period.
Results:
The Burkard yielded significantly higher total and individual mold spore counts. It yielded statistically higher total grass, total weed, and Urticaceae daily pollen counts, although the absolute differences were small. Daily counts were positively correlated between the 2 devices for the most abundant pollens and mold spores.
Conclusion:
The Burkard spore trap collects many more mold spores than the Rotorod over a wide variety of species. The Burkard also yielded higher total grass, total weed, and Urticaceae daily pollen counts. Despite these differences, however, either device can be used to follow trends in the most abundant pollen and mold spores.
