Pollination services of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) in China and directions for future research
Author of the article:SHI Xiao-Yu1** MA Chang-Sheng2 WEI Shu-Hua3 HUANG Jia-Xing4 OUYANG Fang1 HE Chun-Ling5 ZHANG
Author's Workplace：1. State Key Laboratory of Animal Biodiversity Conservation and Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Pesticide Assessment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410125, China; 3. Institute of Plant Protection, Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Yinchuan 750002, China; 4. State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects，Key Laboratory for Insect-Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; 5. College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science & Technology, Luoyang 471000, China; 6. College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Key Words：insect pollinator; introduced species; crop pollination
Abstract：
The western
honey bee, Apis mellifera, plays a key role in agricultural production
and is one of the most important, managed, pollinating insects worldwide. The
importance of the pollination services provided by the western honey bee to
crops and wild plants is being increasingly recognized. However, the western
honey bee has multiple impacts on China's native wild pollinators and the
overall ecosystem, including competing with native pollinators and pollinating
invasive plants. This paper covers three main topics: 1) The pollination
services provided by the western honey bees in China (both crops and native plants); 2) Competition between the western honey bee and
Chinese native pollinators for nectar and pollen resources; and 3) Future
directions and recommendations for research, including reassessing the utility
of the western honey bee for crop pollination, collecting data on western honey
bee flower visits to native and invasive plants, and quantifying western honey
bee populations on multiple spatial scales.