Western honey bee management for crop pollination

Toni, C.H.; Djossa, Bruno Agossou; Yédomonhan, Hounnankpon; Zannou, E.T.; Mensah, G. Ampong

doi:10.4314/acsj.v26i1.1

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Bees are important pollinators of many wild plants and crops and play an important role in maintaining the balance between natural ecosystems and agroecosystems (Xie & An, 2014;Ollerton, 2017;Huang & An, 2018;Toni et al, 2018). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 90% of the food for 146 countries is provided by more than 100 crop varieties, seventy one of which require bee pollination (Klein et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bee pollination directly contributes to crops by increasing their yield and improving fruit quality (Rader et al, 2012;Fijen et al, 2018). Crop species have different attributes and differ in their degree of dependence on bee pollination (Ollerton, 2017;Toni et al, 2018). Bee pollination of oil crops significantly increase seed yield and oil yield, and cross-pollination can even significantly increase yields for self-compatible crops (Abrol & Shankar, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging Behavior of Honeybees (Apis Mellifera L.) and Ground Bumblebees (Bombus Terrestris L.) and its Influence on Seed Yield and Oil Quality of Oil Tree Peony Cultivar ‘Fengdan’ (Paeonia Ostii T. Hong et J. X. Zhang)

Zhang

Han

et al. 2020

Journal of Apicultural Science

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AbstractOil peony (Paeonia spp.) is a new type of woody oil crop in China with a large cultivation area. Inadequate pollination is one of the main reasons for low seed yield. A pollination net room was built at an oil tree peony base, the numbers of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) and ground bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L.) were artificially increased and the foraging behaviors and daily activities of the two bees on the plants were observed. Four different pollination methods (honeybee pollination, ground bumblebee pollination, natural field pollination and pollination without insects) were applied. The visit interval, single-flower visit time, number of single-flower visits, number of flowers visited per minute and number of stigma contacts were compared. Meanwhile, the effects of honeybee and bumblebee pollination on the oil yield and quality of peony seeds were compared. There were noticeable differences in daily activity between honeybees and ground bumblebees. Significant differences in the single-flower visit time, visit interval and visit frequency were also observed; honeybee and ground bumblebee pollination increased the seed yield of oil tree peony by 78.74% and 31.88%, respectively. Therefore, both honeybees and ground bumblebees are effective pollinators of oil tree peony. These results provide a theoretical basis for further utilization of bee resources for oil tree peony pollination.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging Behavior of Honeybees (Apis Mellifera L.) and Ground Bumblebees (Bombus Terrestris L.) and its Influence on Seed Yield and Oil Quality of Oil Tree Peony Cultivar ‘Fengdan’ (Paeonia Ostii T. Hong et J. X. Zhang)

Zhang

Han

et al. 2020

Journal of Apicultural Science

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“…Although there were no significant differences in total bee populations between rough box and control colonies early in year one, by February of 2020 -ten months into the colony life cycle-migratory rough box colonies were significantly larger than migratory control colonies, by a margin of nearly two frames of bees plus brood. While colony size cannot be considered a direct measure of colony health, this result is likely significant for beekeepers, particularly those who rent their colonies for crop pollination and must provide growers with a substantial foraging force in order to maximize colony rental costs [55]. Interestingly, throughout year two of the migratory experiment, rough box and control colonies were similar in size though still trended larger.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking inside the box: Restoring the propolis envelope facilitates honey bee social immunity

Shanahan,

Simone-Finstrom,

Tokarz

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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When wild honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) nest in hollow tree cavities, they coat the rough cavity walls with a continuous layer of propolis, a substance comprised primarily of plant resins. Studies have shown that the resulting “propolis envelope” leads to both individual- and colony-level health benefits. Unfortunately, the smooth wooden boxes most commonly used in beekeeping do little to stimulate propolis collection. As a result, most managed bees live in hives that are propolis-poor. In this study, we assessed different surface texture treatments (rough wood boxes, boxes outfitted with propolis traps, and standard, smooth wood boxes) in terms of their ability to stimulate propolis collection, and we examined the effect of propolis on colony health, pathogen loads, immune gene expression, bacterial gene expression, survivorship, and honey production in both stationary and migratory beekeeping contexts. We found that rough wood boxes are the most effective box type for stimulating propolis deposition. Although the use of rough wood boxes did not improve colony survivorship overall, Melissococcus plutonius detections via gene expression were significantly lower in rough wood boxes, and viral loads for multiple viruses tended to decrease as propolis deposition increased. By the end of year one, honey bee populations in migratory rough box colonies were also significantly larger than those in migratory control colonies. The use of rough wood boxes did correspond with decreased honey production in year one migratory colonies but had no effect during year two. Finally, in both stationary and migratory operations, propolis deposition was correlated with a seasonal decrease and/or stabilization in the expression of multiple immune and bacterial genes, suggesting that propolis-rich environments contribute to hive homeostasis. These findings provide support for the practical implementation of rough box hives as a means to enhance propolis collection and colony health in multiple beekeeping contexts.

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“…In Brazil, introduced bee colonies increased apple fruit set (Stern et al., 2001). Notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence of managed bee effect on pollination and fruit set, studies on pollination do not represent continents and climatic regions evenly, especially in Africa (Archer et al., 2014; Brom et al., 2022; Toni et al., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beekeeping improves shea pollination and fruit set in West African agroforestry parklands

Nasare,

Stout,

Kwapong

2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn) is a fruit tree of domestic and industrial importance in arid and semi‐arid regions of Sub‐Saharan Africa. Fruit set is largely dependent on insect pollination but recent studies have revealed a pollen deficit. The introduction of managed bees into orchards is an effective approach for enhanced pollination services in temperate climates. However, there is limited information to guide the adoption of this practice in agroforestry parklands. This study investigated the effect of managed honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) on fruit yield of shea in six parklands across three regions of Ghana. Tree proximity to the apiary had a detectable effect on fruit set within a 500 m range of the apiary. Proximity of shea trees to apiary was significantly related to number of immature fruit set but not number of mature fruits. Fruit weight and size were not significantly related to distance from apiary or pollination treatment. This implies that the introduction of beekeeping has the potential to address shea pollination deficit at least within a 500 m range of the apiary. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal hive density per acreage of shea parkland to maximise pollination services.

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Western honey bee management for crop pollination

Cited by 5 publications

References 49 publications

Foraging Behavior of Honeybees (Apis Mellifera L.) and Ground Bumblebees (Bombus Terrestris L.) and its Influence on Seed Yield and Oil Quality of Oil Tree Peony Cultivar ‘Fengdan’ (Paeonia Ostii T. Hong et J. X. Zhang)

Foraging Behavior of Honeybees (Apis Mellifera L.) and Ground Bumblebees (Bombus Terrestris L.) and its Influence on Seed Yield and Oil Quality of Oil Tree Peony Cultivar ‘Fengdan’ (Paeonia Ostii T. Hong et J. X. Zhang)

Thinking inside the box: Restoring the propolis envelope facilitates honey bee social immunity

Beekeeping improves shea pollination and fruit set in West African agroforestry parklands

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