Diurnal insect visitation patterns to ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit flowers in New Zealand

Howlett, Brad G.; Read, S.F.J.; Jesson, Linley K.; Benoist, Alexandre; Evans, Laura; Pattemore, David E.

doi:10.30843/nzpp.2017.70.27

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Wind alone is inadequate for the production of marketable kiwifruit (Burge, Spence, & Pallesen, 1988;Costa et al, 1993;Testolin, Vizzotio, & Costa, 1991;Vaissiere, Rodet, Cousin, Botella, & Torre Grossa, 1996), and the New Zealand industry is heavily dependent on managed honeybee pollination; 92% of insect visitors to kiwifruit flowers are honeybees (Howlett, Read, et al, 2017), although some growers also use "artificial pollination", spraying or blowing pollen within the orchard. When fully enclosed, the netting covers will greatly reduce the effectiveness of wind pollination (as seen with shelterbelts: Burge et al, 1988) and will prevent the passage of honeybees (and other larger pollinators such as bumblebees) in and out of the crop.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Netted crop covers reduce honeybee foraging activity and colony strength in a mass flowering crop

Evans

Cutting

Jochym

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The widespread use of protective covers in horticulture represents a novel landscape‐level change, presenting the challenges for crop pollination. Honeybees (Apis mellifera L) are pollinators of many crops, but their behavior can be affected by conditions under covers. To determine how netting crop covers can affect honeybee foraging dynamics, colony health, and pollination services, we assessed the performance of 52 nucleus honeybee colonies in five covered and six uncovered kiwifruit orchards. Colony strength was estimated pre‐ and postintroduction, and the foraging of individual bees (including pollen, nectar, and naïve foragers) was monitored in a subset of the hives fitted with RFID readers. Simultaneously, we evaluated pollination effectiveness by measuring flower visitation rates and the number of seeds produced after single honeybee visits. Honeybee colonies under cover exhibited both an acute loss of foragers and changes in the behavior of successful foragers. Under cover, bees were roughly three times less likely to return after their first trip outside the hive. Consequently, the number of adult bees in hives declined at a faster rate in these orchards, with colonies losing on average 1,057 ± 274 of their bees in under two weeks. Bees that did forage under cover completed fewer trips provisioning their colony, failing to reenter after a few short‐duration trips. These effects are likely to have implications for colony health and productivity. We also found that bee density (bees/thousand flowers) and visitation rates to flowers were lower under cover; however, we did not detect a resultant change in pollination. Our findings highlight the need for environment‐specific management techniques for pollinators. Improving honeybee orientation under covers and increasing our understanding of the effects of covers on bee nutrition and brood rearing should be primary objectives for maintaining colonies and potentially improving pollination in these systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Netted crop covers reduce honeybee foraging activity and colony strength in a mass flowering crop

Evans

Cutting

Jochym

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…On 31 October, colony strength was measured twice during the day at 1100 h and 1500 h. This frequency of sampling was thought to be disruptive to normal bumble bee behaviour, so subsequently foraging strength was measured only once per day on 1 November, 2 November and 4 November. Previous work has suggested that B. terrestris foraging activity is similar across this time period (Howlett et al 2017a) Because this trial was designed to present a 'best case' scenario for bumble bee pollination, each bumble bee colony was also fitted with a pollen dispenser (Koppert Biologicals). Approximately 1 g of fertile pollen (Pollen Plus™) was added to these dispensers each day between 1000 h and 1500 h.…”

Section: Materials and Methods Study Site Owering And Colony Introdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managed bumble bees are viable as pollinators in netted kiwifruit orchards

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Evans

Paugam

et al. 2018

NZPP

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Protected cropping can increase orchard productivity; however, enclosed environments can be disruptive to pollinators. Bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) forage under covers, but industries lack guidelines for using them as pollinators. Here conservative stocking rates for bumble bees in covered kiwifruit orchards were identified using empirical manipulation of bee density and theoretical calculations based on bee behaviour. Bumble bee pollination at two bee densities (24 and 72 colonies/ha) was assessed within two fully netted sections (1/25 ha each) in a Gold3 kiwifruit orchard. Predictive modelling was used to estimate total bees required for pollination while actual pollination in the two blocks was measured directly. There was no difference in flower visitation rate between stocking densities but a 20% increase in seed set was found at high bee density. It was estimated that 90% of a Gold3 crop could be pollinated by 914 foraging bees/ha, or between 22 and 48 colonies/ha at the strengths used in this study. Bumble bees are effective pollinators in protected cropping environments and provide a viable tool for managed pollination under nets. A theoretical approach to refining stocking rates is a good option when manipulating pollinator densities is not possible.

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“…Previous studies have suggested that non-bee pollinator species can be abundant in avocado orchards in other countries, such as Australia (Evans et al 2011), Mexico (PerezBalam et al 2012, and Central America (IshAm & Eisikowitch 1993), and that these have the potential to play a significant role in pollination (Perez-Balam et al 2012;Garibaldi et al 2013). In New Zealand, non-honey bee flower visitors can contribute to the pollination of other crops such as pak choi (Rader et al 2009), onion (Howlett et al 2017b), and carrot (Howlett 2012), and may also contribute to pollination of kiwifruit (Macfarlane & Ferguson 1984;Howlett et al 2017a) and plum (McBrydie et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Temperature (particularly overnight minima) substantially influences the timing of female flower opening in avocado so peak activity of specific pollinating species may not match with optimal pollination times. Encouraging a diversity of insects that can be active under variable weather conditions and over extended periods of the day (Howlett et al 2017a) may ensure pollinators are active at the highly variable times that female flowers are open.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect visitors to avocado flowers in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Read

Howlett

Jesson

et al. 2017

NZPP

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Insect pollination is key to ensuring adequate fruit yields within avocado orchards. Various bee and non-bee insect species have been considered as potential pollinators of avocado worldwide, but in New Zealand there has been little research into which insect species visit avocado flowers. In the Bay of Plenty, an important avocado production area, flower visitor abundance and diversity data were obtained by conducting observational surveys in four orchards in November 2015. Honey bees were the dominant flower visitors in all orchards surveyed, representing 92.9% of all insects recorded, but there was high variation in numbers among sites. Other common insects observed included the beetle, Zorion guttigerum (3.4%), and bumblebees Bombus spp. (1.6%). A better understanding of the interaction between honey bee stocking rates and flower visitor abundances within orchards could assist in improving pollination recommendations.

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Diurnal insect visitation patterns to ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit flowers in New Zealand

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Netted crop covers reduce honeybee foraging activity and colony strength in a mass flowering crop

Netted crop covers reduce honeybee foraging activity and colony strength in a mass flowering crop

Managed bumble bees are viable as pollinators in netted kiwifruit orchards

Insect visitors to avocado flowers in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

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