03 Ara 2024 Salı
Sustainable use of leafcutting bee hives for alfalfa pollination
Abstract :The pollination of flowering plants is an important ecological service in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The majority of angiosperm plants rely on animals for pollination. The coevoulution of bees and flowers has resulted in special morphological adaptations for both insects and plants, and the need of some plants for pollination by bees are absolute. One of the major forage corps in Egypt and other part of the world is alfalfa. The leafcutting bees are very important pollinator of alfalfa, different natural nests had been found in Eastern part of Egypt but these nests under a high risk due to construction of news house instead of old mud wall houses. Foam nests had been created yearly from 2003 and used as hives for conservation of bees and used it for alfalfa pollination. The impact of using leafcutting hives proved a high seed production and easy to handle by farmers, the hives are very easy for preservation, storage and reuse.
Alfalfa, Pollination, Seed Production, Leafcutting bees