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POLLEN STORAGE AND FORAGING BY HONEY BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) IN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES (ERICACEAE), CULTIVAR BLUECROP

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Margriet H. Dogterom  and
Mark L. Winston
Margriet H. Dogterom*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
Mark L. Winston
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
*
1Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
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Abstract

We investigated pollen and nectar foraging of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., from pollen-poor and pollen-rich, small and large colonies in blooming highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L. cv. Bluecrop fields. The proportion of pollen foragers differed significantly between pollen-rich and pollen-poor colonies after storage levels were manipulated, but foraging and pollen stores returned to similar levels within a week. No differences were found in small colonies, although the proportion of pollen foragers was high (46% and 45% from pollen-rich and pollen-poor colonies, respectively). Only 7.6% of pollen foragers carried Vaccinium sp. pollen in their loads independent of treatment, day, and colony size, whereas 60.8% of nectar foragers carried up to 100 tetrads of Vaccinium sp. pollen on their bodies. The average proportion of Vaccinium sp. pollen carried by nectar and pollen foragers per day and treatment was less than 10%. Our research indicates that when colonies are placed in fields of blooming blueberry flowers, pollen foraging is stimulated in large colonies with stores that are pollen poor, but predominantly for pollen types other than blueberry. This research indicates that nectar foragers are the major visitor of highbush blueberry cv. Bluecrop and suggests that increasing the number of nectar foragers rather than pollen foragers would result in more honey bees foraging on highbush blueberry, in particular cv. Bluecrop.

Résumé

Nous avons étudié le butinage de pollen et de nectar chez l’Abeille domestique, Apis mellifera L., dans de grandes et de petites colonies à réserves riches ou pauvres en pollen, dans des champs d’airelles de corymbe, Vaccinium corymbosum L., cv. Bluecrop. La proportion des butineuses de pollen différait significativement chez les colonies riches en pollen et les colonies pauvres en pollen après manipulation des réserves, mais le butinage et les réserves sont redevenus semblables chez les deux colonies en moins de 1 semaine. Il n’y avait pas de différence d’une petite colonie à une autre, mais la proportion de butineuses de pollen était élevée (46% chez les colonies riches en pollen, 45% chez les colonies pauvres en pollen). Seulement 7,6% des butineuses de pollen transportaient du pollen de Vaccinium sp., indépendamment du type de traitement, de la journée ou de la taille de la colonie, alors que 60,8% des butineuses de nectar transportaient jusqu’à 100 tétrades de pollen de Vaccinium sp. sur leur corps. La proportion moyenne de pollen de Vaccinium sp. transporté par les butineuses de pollen et de nectar par jour et par traitement était inférieure à 10%. Nos résultats indiquent que l’installation de colonies dans des champs d’airelles en fleurs stimule le butinage de pollen chez les grandes colonies à réserves pauvres en pollen, mais les abeilles récoltent surtout du pollen d’autres plantes. Nos résultats indiquent également que les butineuses de nectar sont les visiteurs les plus fréquents sur les airelles du cultivar Bluecrop et semblent démontrer que l’augmentation du nombre de butineuses de nectar augmente probablement le nombre d’abeilles butineuses d’airelles, particulièrement les airelles du cultivar Bluecrop.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 131 , Issue 6 , December 1999 , pp. 757 - 768
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1999

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