Foraging ecology of insect pollinators on apple blossoms in Kashmir Himalaya Paray M.A.*, Khursheed Rizwana, Shifa Munazah Yaqoob, Amin Deelak Research and Training Centre for Pollinators, Pollinizers and Pollination Management Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, 190025 *Email: sajadzoo@gmail.com
Online published on 27 July, 2018. Abstract A study was undertaken in five districts of Kashmir during 2012–15 at 15% bloom to study the foraging time, foraging rate, foraging speed and loose pollen grain load by insect pollinators visiting apple blossoms. This revealed that among the insect pollinators/visitors, the earliest mean initiation foraging activity of 0723 ± 0012 h was reported with Apis cerana followed by Xylocopa spp. (0742 ± 0019 h), Andrena spp. (0747± 0015 h), Lassioglossum spp. (0756± 0016 h) and Apis mellifera (0859± 0016 h), respectively. Late cessation was recorded in A. cerana (1800± 0019 h) followed by A. mellifera (1735± 0014 h), Xylocopa spp. (1659± 0021 h), Andrena spp. (1658± 0013 h) and Lassioglossum spp. (1656± 0015 h). The observations on the number of flowers visited/min and time spent/flower revealed that Xylocopa spp. visited maximum number of flowers (14.6± 1.14) in 6.2 ± 2.60 sec. Maximum pollen grains (11121± 635 and 10937± 492) under caged conditions was observed with A. mellifera and under natural conditions, and maximum pollen grains (15636± 1026 and 14034± 1136) was carried by Xylocopa spp. Top Keywords Apple blossoms, insect pollinators, bees, Apis mellifera, A. cerana, Andrena, Lassioglossum, Xylocopa, foraging activity-time, rate, speed, pollen load. Top |