Impact of single visit of Chalicodoma cincta Fabricius 1871 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) on Ceratotheca sesamoides Endl. 1753 (Pedaliaceae) flowers at Ngaoundéré (Cameroon)

Abstract

Research on impact of Chalicodoma cincta bees on pod and seed yields of Ceratotheca sesamoides in an experimental field was carried out from June to September in 2015 and 2016 at Dang. Observations were made on 291 flowers divided in four treatments: two treatments made with flowers protected and uncovered when flowers were opened to allow Ch. cincta visits and two other treatments with flowers destined to opening and closing without the visit of insect or any other organism. Bee's daily rhythm of activities, its foraging behavior on flowers and its pollination efficiency were evaluated. Results show that, Ch. cincta foraged on Ce. sesamoides flowers throughout its whole blooming period. On flowers, individual bees intensely harvested nectar and slightly collected pollen. The mean duration of a visit per flowers was 3.19 sec for nectar harvest visits and 3.89 sec for pollen collection visits. The great mean Impact of single… Djakbé Jackson Dapsia et al.