What is the efficiency of the honeybee as a pollinator?  How does it
compare to native bees? Do we have a means of measuring the efficiency of
pollinators?  When it comes to pollination, honeybee colonies have the
advantage of a large population size.  That makes them effective, but I am
interested in efficiency.

I have heard that the number of blooms visited per foraging flight is
greater in native bees making them more efficient.  I would read this to
mean that a smaller population of native bees is required to perform the
same pollination service as a larger population of honeybees. Does this
have any support in research?

Larry Krengel
Marengo, Illinois
Home of C. C. Miller

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