31 December 2021
Summary Pollen analysis was carried out in Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg. Estimated values are given for the other sites where access is restricted due to covid or holiday schedules. Pollen levels are generally low throughout the country but grasses will increase in summer rainfall areas from January. Trees and weeds are low and moulds […]
24 December 2021
Summary Covid isolation and closed buildings over the holiday season have prevented access to some pollen monitoring sites and archived data has been used for the affected sites. Pollen in the atmosphere has decreased but a mere 5 grains of grass/cubic metre may trigger symptoms in those who are exquisitely sensitive so travellers should carry […]
17 December 2021
Summary Significant tree and weed pollen counts were seen in Cape Town and Durban. High fungal spore loads were also seen in Durban, and a peak in the allergenic fungal spore Cladosporium was observed in Pretoria. Grass counts have increased across most of the country, reaching significant levels in Cape Town, Bloemfontein and potentially also […]
10 December 2021
Summary Cape Town and Durban had high pollen counts, both due to peaks in the weed pollen category. Bulrush is flowering across South Africa and delivered significant counts in Cape Town, while it was nettle pollen that peaked in Durban. Durban also showed high levels of fungal spores. The rest of the country had low […]
3 December 2021
Summary Three sites showed significant pollen counts in two or more pollen categories. Cape Town had high weed levels due to an increase in plantain and bulrush pollen, and moderate tree and grass counts were also seen. Moderate grass and tree counts were also seen in Kimberley, while Durban had moderate weed and tree counts […]
26 November 2021
Summary Cape Town had moderate grass and tree counts, and moderate grass and weed counts were seen in Kimberley. Pretoria and Gqeberha both had low pollen counts, with Pretoria showing small spikes for the allergenic fungal spore, Cladosporium. Due to unforeseen circumstances, data from the other three sites were not available at the time of […]
19 November 2021
Summary Overall pollen and fungal spore counts were low for most sites across South Africa. An increase in grass pollen was observed in Kimberley and tree counts were significant in Bloemfontein. Durban had high fungal spore loads. Cape Town The tree, weed and grass levels were low during this period of cooler temperatures with rain. […]
12 November 2021
Summary Pollen levels were low across the country, except in Bloemfontein where moderate tree counts were seen. Fungal spore counts were also low throughout South Africa, but moderate in Durban where small spikes in the allergenic spore Cladosporium were seen. Cape Town Low tree, grass and weed levels were seen during this cooler period with […]
5 November 2021
Summary The rain that has fallen over many parts of South Africa recently has reduced pollen counts and spurred mould growth. Moulds often increase in spring and autumn especially after rain, as they thrive in warm, wet weather. High mould levels were seen in Durban, with lower counts in the rest of the country. Spikes […]
