Sustainable chemical tools to improve honeybee foraging efficiency in a pollinator-dependent crop

CECILIA ESTRAVIS BARCALA; FLORENCIA PALOTTINI; WALTER MARCELO FARINA

Foz de Iguazú

Congreso; 1st Joint Meeting ISCE/ALAEQ; 2016

Honeybees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) are the most important pollen vectors in agricultural ecosystems. In particular, they are considered essential pollinators in sunflower (Helianthus annuus Linnaeus) crops for hybrid seed production where honeybees have to transfer pollen from male fertile (MF) to male sterile (MS) cultivars. However, this commercial crop presents challenges for insect pollinators such as a variable dimorphism among parental lines that hinders cross-pollinating by honeybee [1]. This commercial crop offers moreover low quality pollen for insects [2]. Our laboratory has already developed a Synthetic Mixture (SM) [3] of VOCs that honeybees cannot discriminate from the natural blend of sunflowers, a fact that improves the activity of the beehives located in the surrounding of these crops [4]. The aim of this study was to evaluate i) the role of this procedure by focusing on the honeybees that foraged on MF and MS cultivars of the crop, and ii) whether a Stimulant Supplement, a mix of antioxidant and natural stimulant compounds (SS), improved the action of the SM on crops. Our results showed that a higher number of bees visited MF and MS cultivars in the surrounding of the SM treated colonies. This number is even higher for the SM+SS treatment. Additionally, hives treated with the SM+SS showed higher levels of activity. These results suggest that the synthetic mixture could be used to guide honeybees towards sunflower crops, while the stimulant supplement well complements its role enhancing honeybee foraging behavior.[1] Susic Martin C, Farina WM (2016). Apidologie, 47:161?170.[2] Schmidt, L.S., Schmidt, J.O., Rao, H., Wang, W., Xu L. (1995). J. Econ. Entomol. 88, 1591-1595 [3] Farina WM, Díaz PC, Arenas A (2009). Patent application: P 20090104013; INPI.[4] INNOVAR (2013). Catálogo 2013, 86-89.