Managed honeybees and South American bumblebees exhibit complementary foraging patterns in highbush blueberry

ESTRAVIS BARCALA, C; PALOTTINI, F; MACRI, I; NERY, D; FARINA WALTER M.

Scientific Reports

Nature Research

Año: 2021 vol. 11

2045-2322

Despite Apis mellifera being the most widely managed pollinator to enhance crop production, theyare not the most suitable species for highbush blueberries, which possess restrictive floral morphologyand require buzz-pollination. Thus, the South American bumblebee Bombus pauloensis is increasinglymanaged as an alternative species in this crop alongside honeybees. Herein, we evaluated theforaging patterns of the two species, concerning the potential pollen transfer between two blueberryco-blooming cultivars grown under open high tunnels during two seasons considering different colonydensities. Both managed pollinators showed different foraging patterns, influenced by the cultivaridentity which varied in their floral morphology and nectar production. Our results demonstrate thatboth species are efficient foragers on highbush blueberry and further suggest that they contributepositively to its pollination in complementary ways: while bumblebees were more effective at theindividual level (visited more flowers and carried more pollen), the greater densities of honeybeeforagers overcame the difficulties imposed by the flower morphology, irrespective of the stocking rate.This study supports the addition of managed native bumblebees alongside honeybees to enhancepollination services and emphasizes the importance of examining behavioural aspects to optimizemanagement practices in pollinator-dependent crops.