Issues and prospects of mason bee pollination application
Author of the article:SHI Xiao-Yu, ZOU Yi, LUO A-Rong, NIU Ze-Qing, ZHU Chao-Dong
Author's Workplace:Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Key Words:mason bee; crop pollination; cage experiment; agricultural landscape; honeybee pollination
Abstract:Mason bees (Osmia spp.) have been used to pollinate some crops worldwide but information on the
factors affecting their efficiency
remains limited. This paper reviews some commonly encountered problems when
using mason bees as pollinators and provide
suggestions for using mason bees as pollinators in different agricultural
landscapes. A variety of factors can affect the performance of mason bees as
pollinators and the recovery of bee cocoons, including plants flowering at the
same time as the target crop, local pollinator communities, predators,
parasitoids and pathogens. The potential impact of introducing mason bees into
local agroecosystems should be evaluated before they are introduced. Introduced
mason bees may compete with native wild bee species for habitats,
nesting materials and food resources, and may also pollinate invasive plants.
The following points should be considered
before using mason bees as pollinators: 1. Is the agricultural landscape
suitable for mason bees? 2. What are the potential adverse impacts of mason
bees on local ecosystems? 3. What is the likely contribution of mason bees to
crop yield? 4. How would pollination by mason bees compare to that by honey
bees? Overall, we encourage careful assessment of these points to ensure that
mason bees are only deployed as pollinators in the appropriate ecological
conditions.