Comparison of foraging behaviors between Apis cerana cerana and Apis mellifera ligustica on greenhouse strawberry
Abstract:[Objectives] Apis cerana cerana and
Apis
mellifera ligustica are the main breeding and pollinating bee species
in China. However, there are large differences in the biological traits between
the two honeybee species. Consequently, it may provide the basis for better
utilization of honeybees pollination on crops to investigate the difference in
foraging behaviors between
A. cerana cerana and
A. mellifera
ligustica in greenhouse and their responses to the environmental factors.
[Methods] In this study, we monitored the foraging
behaviors of
A. cerana cerana and
A. mellifera ligustica using
radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology and the dynamic changes of
temperature and relative humidity in greenhouse. Afterwards, the flower
visiting efficiency of honeybees and the relationship between foraging
behaviors of honeybees and environmental factors was analyzed, and pollination
effects were evaluated.
[Results] Except in low temperature weather, the number
of
A. mellifera ligustica forager was higher than that of
A. cerana
cerana, but the daily working time of
A. cerana cerana was
significantly longer than
A. mellifera ligustica. The peak periods of
daily foraging work between the two bee species were different. There were two
foraging peaks per day for
A. cerana cerana, while
A. mellifera
ligustica only had one peak during the daily foraging period. Regarding
pollination efficiency, the number of flowers visited by
A. cerana cerana was significantly higher than
A. mellifera ligustica,
but there was no significant distinction in flower visiting time between the
two honeybee species. A rotating day-off phenomenon existed in both two bee
species, and there was no significant difference in the proportion of forager individuals
rotating days off between
A. cerana cerana and
A. mellifera ligustica.
Both
the individual number of foragers and their foraging frequency of the two
honeybees were affected by the environmental factors including temperature and
relative humidity; they were positively correlated with temperature but
negatively correlated with relative humidity in the greenhouse. However, compared to
A. cerana cerana,
A. mellifera ligustica was
more sensitive to the changes in temperature and relative humidity. The forager
number of these two bees on day 11 (low temperature weather) was significantly
lower than that on day 10 and day 12 (sunny weather). Moreover, there was no
significant difference in the yield of strawberry pollinated by
A. cerana
cerana and
A. mellifera ligustica.
[Conclusions] Both
A. cerana cerana and
A.
mellifera ligustica could pollinate strawberry efficiently. They can
respond to the changes of surrounding environmental factors and adjust the
individual activities in the colony accordingly. Further study on their
foraging behaviors is helpful to optimize the pollination service on crops.