Behavior of africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in cages for pollination essays

Abstract

The effect of polyethylene cages on the behaviour of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) during flowerage and on the yield of the hybrid onion seeds was studied. The experiment design used was in a randomized block design with six replicates and three treatments: 1. Plants visited by bees freely without cages. 2. Plants in cages with bees. 3. Plants in cages without bees. Time spent per umbel, number of flowers and umbels visited, the density of bees in the umbel and the frequence of nectar and pollen collecting by the bees during the flowerage were also studied. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the yield date. It was observed that the confinement of the bees modified the forager behavior. The bee density was variable during the experiment. In the cages the honeybees visited the umbels well but many bees died. The seed yield in the cage decreased 34.5% in male-fertile plants and 53.21% in the female plants. In the cages without bees there was no seed yield. The polyethylene cage permitted to estimate the pollination effect, but, studies about behavior must not be accepted.