ISHS Acta Horticulturae 446: VI International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
THE ALFALFA LEAFCUTTING BEE, MEGACHILE ROTUNDATA FABR.: AN ALTERNATIVE MANAGED POLLINATOR OF LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY |
| Authors: | K. MacKenzie, D. Rogers, S. Javorek |
| Keywords: | pollination, fruit production, Vaccinium angustifolium, lowbush blueberry, Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee, Megachile rotundata |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.446.11 |
| Abstract:
Research that began in 1991 has demonstrated the usefulness of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata Fabr., as a pollinator of lowbush blueberry in Nova Scotia (Javorek, 1996). Bee release could be successfully synchronized with the early stages of the Vaccinium flowering period. Once established, leafcutting bees were able to utilize the crop as a source of leaf material, nectar and pollen for the construction and provisioning of natal cells, with the majority of females using Vaccinium as their primary pollen source. Individual pollen foraging M. rotundata were effective pollinators showing similar pollination success rates as indigenous Bombus spp. and Andrena spp. The presence of leafcutting bees in lowbush blueberry fields was associated with up to 30% increases in fruit set. The life expectancy of leafcutting bees extends well beyond the approximately three week blueberry flowering period. Therefore, it is necessary to relocate leafcutting bee populations to alternative forage to maximize recovery. Within this blueberry pollination/alternative forage system, bee recovery has ranged from approximately 50 to 150% of initial populations. Commercial pollination began in 1995, and by 1996 leafcutting bees were placed on just over 1000 acres (approximately 5% of bearing fields) in the Maritimes. | |
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