Bees like all that pollen and nectar in the garden, but plenty of people don't.

Allergies are all too familiar at this time of year when blossom is out and wind-blown pollen flies around.

In terms of pollination, plants fall into two types - those with insect-pollinated or wind-pollinated flowers.

Wind-pollinated plants such as pines and grasses tend to produce copious quantities of pollen to ensure the effective pollination of randomly situated compatible plants.

By contrast, those plants pollinated by insects will use all kinds of trickery such as sweet nectar and fragrance to attract their pollinators.

Allergy New Zealand says wind-pollinated plants are most likely to cause ...