CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/22/12

Pollen counts are important but can be confusing

By Frank M. Watson

In recent weeks, I have had numerous people ask me how weather forecasters come up with pollen counts.

I don’t have time to fully answer that question in this article but I can direct you to a website, Pollen.com, that will give you all the information you ever wanted to know about pollen counts.

At Pollen.com, you type in your zip code and get the most current pollen information for your area.

Multidata, the company behind the trademark-protected Allergy Alert on Pollen.com, has spent 25 years studying pollen counts and the methods for pollen sampling.

They know how important pollen information is to allergy sufferers and how easily the information can be misunderstood. This is why they developed one reporting scale that can be easily understood by viewers.

Allergy Alert pollen levels are on a scale of zero to 12, which rates how much pollen the allergy sufferer is likely to encounter for that day. Pollen.com bases the Allergy Alert rating on the pollen count but takes other information into account as well.

The website also notes what types of pollen are currently most prominent in your area.

Allergy sufferers can use the site to see what types of pollen might be prominent at their planned summer vacation spot at different times of the year. This makes it easier to plan a vacation that doesn’t include watery eyes.

Pollen counting has been recognized as an important process since the turn of the 20th century. Not only have pollen counts advanced our knowledge of the role plant pollen plays in causing allergy symptoms; they have become a powerful tool in day-to-day, individual health problem solving.

Remember that the dusty yellow pollen we see in the air is not the pollen that plagues allergy sufferers. However, when you can see lots of yellow pine pollen floating in the air, pollen counts for the problem plants are usually also high.

Frank Watson is the University of Georgia Extension agent in Wilkes County, Ga.

Authors:
Frank M. Watson
Experts/Sources:
Frank M. Watson
A photo of a car windshield covered with yellow pine pollen.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Members of the UGA Extension and UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences' Strong African-American Families Program team celebrate the completion of the five year program in Tifton Monday, April 28. CAES News
UGA Extension celebrates five years of Strong African-American Families 04/30/14 Cal Powell
The Strong African-American Families project, launched in South Georgia in 2008 by the University of Georgia’s Center for Family Research and UGA Extension, has strengthened families and helped promote positive health outcomes, according to CFR Director Gene Brody.
Georgia county commissioners and staff complete the Wellness Walk, sponsored by Walk Georgia, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and Local Government Risk Management Services, Inc., on Savannah's River Street Monday morning. The event was part of ACCG's annual conference, held in Savannah over the past week. CAES News
Georgia's county officials take to Savannah's River Street for walking event 04/17/14 Kathryn Schiliro
More than 100 of Georgia’s county commissioners, officials and staff put on their walking shoes early Monday morning, April 14 for a Wellness Walk to encourage physical activity among Georgians.
Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves presents a proclamation honoring UGA Extension's 100 years of service in Fulton County to County Extension Coordiantor Menia Chester, to his right; UGA Office of Environmental Sciences Director Susan Varlamoff, to her right, and the staff of the Fulton County UGA Extension Office. CAES News
Fulton County commissioners recognize 100 years of service from UGA Extension 04/07/14 Merritt Melancon
University of Georgia Extension has been a part of Fulton County since 1914, when farm fields were as common in the metro area as shopping centers are today.
Amanda Griffin and her daughter Khloe Griffin have been helped by the Car Seat Safety program in Appling County. CAES News
UGA Extension teaches importance of car seat safety 04/02/14 Clint Thompson, Sarah Turner
UGA Extension agents Janet Hollingsworth and Terri Black are driving home the importance of car seat safety.
Cotton is dumped into a trailer at the Gibbs Farm in Tifton on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. CAES News
UGA economists to lead series of meetings about farm bill education 03/27/14 Clint Thompson
U.S. Farm Bill education will be the focus of an upcoming series of meetings coordinated by University of Georgia agricultural economists.
Walk Georgia. CAES News
Walk Georgia Night draws 300-plus participants to Hawks-Nuggets game, related festivities 03/21/14 Kathryn Schiliro
About 350 participants scored tickets to last Saturday’s Walk Georgia Night with the Atlanta Hawks. This is an annual event offered by the University of Georgia Extension’s Walk Georgia program that gets attendees involved in special activities and into the game for just $15.