>Subject: sunflower pollination > >Does anyone have information on sunflower pollination? You're apparently assuming that the only bee worth managing for pollination is Apis - in North America, there are some 130 native bee species that *only* visit sunflowers, and at least another 150 that will visit it for pollen when available (and all almost undoubtedly act as effective pollinators). It wouldn't surprise me if somewhere in those hundreds of species there are a few that are more effective than honeybees. Some colleagues and I have published a paper (Ecology 75: 1406-1419, 1994) on one of the most widespread sunflower specialists, Dieunomia triangulifera (Halictidae), whose activity is synchronized on both a seasonal and daily basis with sunflower bloom. Out of 500 floral visitors to Helianthus annuus assayed during our study, only 4 were Apis, the rest were native bees (D. triangulifera and Bombus pensylvanicus together representing about half of the total), and they were able to effectively strip all pollen from the plants by mid-day and give essentially complete seed set. I would respectfully submit that it does NOT require Apis to pollinate a field of sunflowers if one has native bees nesting nearby. They also cost nothing to manage, aside from some sandy soil where they can nest. Just something to think about, Doug Yanega Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr. Champaign, IL 61820 USA phone (217) 244-6817, fax (217) 333-4949 "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82