WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) —Springtime is just around the corner, arriving officially on Monday. With spring comes flowers, trees, and of course pollen and the mild winter has been kickstarting the pollination process early this year.
Flowers and trees are starting to come alive before we even start spring and that can quickly affect those who suffer from seasonal allergies
“We have trees that flower in the spring, and a lot of trees that flower in the spring they’re not insect pollinated. Instead, they’re wind-pollinated,” stated Dr. Kenneth Klemow, chair of Biology Earth Sciences at Wilkes University.
Those wind-pollinated trees are responsible for a lot of the pollen we can see.
“So flowering plants especially produce the male parts in these little tiny grains that we call pollen grains,” explained Dr. Klemow.
Thanks to a warm winter, we could see a lot more of them.
“But I think that the pollen count going to be a lot higher once we get into late march and April than May,” said Klemow.
Regardless of pollen numbers, allergists point out that there could be a bigger danger from the warm weather.
“What we do see come up with the big ranges in temperatures is mold. Mold is a year-round allergen. The spores kind of come up and down. With the big temperature changes, damp dark locations,” explained Dr. Stacy Rosenberg, allergy and immunology associate at Geisinger Health.
Keeping mold and pollen at bay just takes a few extra steps to ensure your health for springtime.
“I would say windows and doors closed to the house and car will help keep the pollen from coming into the indoor locations,” stated Dr. Rosenberg.
“Honestly the best thing you can do is in the evening when you’re not going to go back outside. Wash your hair and body, and put on fresh clothes. So that the pollen doesn’t stay on your skin and hair all night,” added Rosenberg.
Another tip when working on outdoor yardwork is to wear masks and goggles that can be washed after use.
