Foraging behaviour of a blue banded bee, Amegilla chlorocyanea in greenhouses: implications for use as tomato pollinators
Date
2007
Authors
Hogendoorn, K.
Coventry, S.
Keller, M.
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Journal article
Citation
Apidologie, 2007; 38(1):86-92
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Katja Hogendoorn, Steven Coventry and Michael Anthony Keller
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Abstract
Blue-banded bees (Amegilla spp.) are Australian native buzz pollinators that are a promising alternative to the introduction of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) for use as pollinators of tomatoes in Australian greenhouses. The foraging behaviour of Amegilla chlorocyanea under greenhouse conditions was monitored in detail. Our results showed that female Amegilla are active foragers that make on average 9 pollen foraging flights per day. Using data about flower visitation, we estimated the number of actively nesting female bees needed for adequate pollination in a commercial greenhouse as 282 per hectare.
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© INRA, DIB-AGIB, EDP Sciences 2007