COMPLEMENTARY ASPECTS OF STRAWBERRY POLLINATION BY HONEY AND INDIGENOUS BEES (HYMENOPTERA)

The relative efficiency of two groups of insects that pollinate strawberries, Fragaria x ananassa Duch., was established by comparing the relative influence of the number and length of their visits to flowers, their foraging behavior, and the fertilization rates of the achenes during these visits. Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., were more efficient than indigenous pollinators (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae) when the frequency of visits was low. Average-sized apoids such as honey bees pivot at the top of the receptacle and pollinate the apical stigmata, whereas small apoids circle on the stamens and around the receptacle, pollinating mainly the basal stigmata. Data collected revealed that these two groups of pollinators play a complementary role in strawberry pollination.