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Effect of different modes of pollination, viz., without insect pollination, hand-pollination, open-pollination and open-pollination + hand-pollination on yield parameters of 4 summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) hybrids viz., Parikrama, Chandra, Chamatkar and Gold Queen was studied at Research Farm of the Department of Entomology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during 2014. Irrespective of different hybrids, the treatment openpollination + hand-pollination and open-pollination produced the maximum number of fruits per plant (73.50 and 71.25%, respectively) followed by hand-pollination (59.08%) and no fruits were observed (0% fruit set) under without insect pollination treatment. Average fruit weight, fruit polar diameter and equatorial diameter were maximum (135.30 g, 3.74 cm and 3.47 cm, respectively) under open-pollination + hand-pollination, while these were minimum (94.81 cm, 2.14cm and 2.48 cm, respectively) under hand-pollination treatment. These results indicate that honey bees as well as wild pollinators are utmost essential for pollination of summer squash flowers and thus increasing fruit size and yield. Therefore pollinators conservation practices should be followed in summer squash growing areas for getting higher yield and returns.

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Based on pollination index (loose pollen grains sticking on the body x abundance x foraging rate), A. mellifera was the most efficient pollinator of C. pepo with pollination index of 1177360 followed by A. dorsata (773280 ) and A. cerana (223420) and A. florea with pollination index 63480 under agro-ecological conditions of Hisar (Haryana). The abundance (bees/m2/5 minutes) of A. mellifera (2.21) was highest followed by A. cerana (1.16), A. dorsata (1.07) and A. florea (0.62). Irrespective of species, the population was maximum (1.45 bees/m2/5 minutes) at 1000-1200 h of the day. Foragers of A. dorsata, A. mellifera, A. florea and A. cerana commenced their pollen collection activity at 0600, 0630, 0700 and 0700 h, with peak periods at 0600-0800, 0800-1000, 1000-1200 and 0800-1000 h respectively and all of them ceased their activity between 1700-1800 h.