With the growth of information and technology across the globe, remote sensing applications find a place in the ecological studies of pollinators. The utilization of remote sensing tools in understanding the ecosystem services rendered by the bee pollinators is reviewed here. We discussed how radar and radio telemetry techniques helps to track individual bees, their foraging behaviour and density in relation to altered phenology of flowering crops in a landscape. Role of satellite imagery tools in studying characterizing a landscape affected by anthropogenic factors was discussed. Monitoring invasive bee species that cause a threat to native bee fauna was explored. We explained the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles to map the floral resource that influence the density and incidence of pollinators. Remote sensing tools used to measure sequence of pollination events was discussed.
Diversity of parasitoids and predators in the sole cropped and intercropped, border cropped, and hedgerow cropped fields of guava (sole cropped and intercropped with cowpea), mulberry (sole cropped and border cropped with castor), and sapota (sole cropped and intercropped with clusterbean) were documented in two villages Naukalpalya and P Rampura of Kanakapura district in Karnataka, India, during 2016-2017. The parasitoids and predators were collected using yellow pan traps and sweep nets. The variations in the diversity, species richness, and evenness between two cropping systems are discussed in this paper. Diversity indices were worked out. Predators belonging to the families viz., Coccinellidae, Carabidae, Chrysopidae, Syrphidae, and Pentatomidae were recorded. The adult parasitoids belonging to the families Trichogrammatidae, Braconidae, Encyrtidae, and Ichneumonidae were recorded. Shannon-Weiner index, Margalef's richness index, and evenness index found to be higher in the inter/border/hedgerow cropped fields compared to the sole cropped ecosystems. The abundance of the adult stage of the predators and parasitoids of the inter/border/hedgerow crops was found to be higher. The results of the study confirmed the role of crop diversification as a tool to enhance the functional biodiversity of parasitoids and predators for an efficient biological control program.
Ceratina binghamiCockerell is an efficient pollinator of cultivated and uncultivated crops. They construct the linear nest for their young ones in pruned sticks, hollow stems and dead wood. The present investigation was carried out at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, during 2018-2019 were collected for this study from six different host plants viz., Crotons, Codiaeum sp., Yellow bell, Tecoma sp., Peacock flower, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Copper pod tree, Peltophorum pterocarpum and Rose. The nests were linear and partitioned with chewed straw. Among these, the most preferred host was Peltophorum pterocarpum. Diameter of the nest entrance, length and width of the nests were recorded as 0.36±0.06 cm, 11.59± 4.35 cm and 0.36±0.06 cm, respectively. Duration of each and every stage of immatures was recorded. Younger ones were located at the nest entrance and the older progeny was placed in the inner side of the nest. Some brood cells were empty between the cells and adult were found at the nest entrance, to guard the immatures from predators and parasitoides.
K e y w o r d sPollinator, Ceratina binghami, Brood cells and nest, Small carpenter bee
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.