The ecological benefits of mason bee pollination in China

Author of the article:OUYANG Fang, MEN Xing-Yuan, XIAO Zhi-Shu

Author's Workplace：State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Key Words：mason bee pollination; ecological benefit; crop type; crop yield; crop quality

Abstract：[Objectives]  Over the past 30 years, agricultural production in China and around the world has become increasingly dependent on pollinators, but there are insufficient socially domesticated bees (such as honeybees and bumblebees) to provide the required pollination services. About 70% of the major crops in China rely heavily on insect pollinators for fruit and seed production. The mason bee (Osmia) in the super family Apoidae is an important solitary pollinator, which, through artificial breeding, can improve crop yield and quality. However, there is currently no systematic summary of the benefits of mason bees to crop production in China. [Methods]  Qualitative and quantitative literature searches were combined to obtain information on the effectiveness of using mason bees as crop pollinators in China. [Results]  Currently, the major mason bee species used for crop pollination mainly include O. cornifrons, O. excavata and O. jacoti. Crops pollinated by mason bees include fruits, vegetables, fibre crops and oil crops. Pollination by Mason bees has significant ecological benefits and can improve fruit size, yield and quality, reduce physiological fruit drop, and improve the quantity and quality of seed crops. [Conclusion]  This paper provides a summary of the crops pollinated by mason bees in China and a quantitative evaluation of the ecological benefits of using Mason bees for pollination. This information should promote the use of Mason bees as pollinators and thereby help rectify the nationwide shortage of insect pollinators.