BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:26:09 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (22 lines)
Juanse writes:
> This two insects (bombus terrestris and european honey bees) are really a perfect couple for the above purpose.

Taken a step further:

We found universally positive associations of fruit set with flower visitation by wild
insects in 41 crop systems worldwide. In contrast, fruit set increased significantly with flower visitation
by honey bees in only 14% of the systems surveyed. Overall, wild insects pollinated crops more
effectively; an increase in wild insect visitation enhanced fruit set by twice as much as an equivalent
increase in honey bee visitation. Visitation by wild insects and honey bees promoted fruit set
independently, so pollination by managed honey bees supplemented, rather than substituted for,
pollination by wild insects. Our results suggest that new practices for integrated management of
both honey bees and diverse wild insect assemblages will enhance global crop yields.

Science 339, 1608 (2013);
Lucas A. Garibaldi et al.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2