Managed and Wild Bee Flower Visitors and Their Potential Contribution to Pollination Services of Low-Chill Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.; Ericales: Ericaceae)

Journal of Economic Entomology
J W CampbellJ D Ellis

Abstract

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.; Ericales: Ericaceae) is an important crop grown throughout the eastern United States and Canada. Cross-pollination by insects greatly enhances pollination and fruit set in highbush blueberry. In Florida, low-chill cultivars that flower during the winter when most bees are dormant are used, thus, making it difficult to utilize and depend on unmanaged bees. We investigated flower visitation rates by managed and wild bees and the subsequent berry formation, berry weight, and number of seeds/berry in highbush blueberry fields in north-central Florida. Additionally, we tested three pollinator treatments: 1) pollinator-excluded flowers, 2) open-pollinated treatments that were available to managed and wild bees, and 3) flowers that were hand pollinated. Overall, we found seven native bee species that contribute to highbush blueberry pollination in Florida, but managed honey bees and bumble bees were the main flower visitors. Additionally, 14.5 times more blueberries formed in the open treatments than in the pollinator exclusion treatments, thus illustrating the economic impact bees have on blueberry pollination. Most of the wild bees observed visiting blueberry flowers were ground-nesting s...Continue Reading

References

Jan 6, 2001·Journal of Economic Entomology·B J Sampson, J H Cane
May 8, 2007·Oecologia·Sarah S GreenleafClaire Kremen
Jun 24, 2010·Journal of Economic Entomology·Julianna K Tuell, Rufus Isaacs
Oct 15, 2014·Environmental Entomology·Faye E Benjamin, Rachael Winfree
Dec 25, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Insu KohTaylor H Ricketts
Feb 26, 2016·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Neal M WilliamsJeff Peters

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