Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) have a greater fidelity to sunflowers than European bees.
A study of sunflower, Helianthus annuus L., pollen collection by Africanized and European honey bees, Apis mellifera L., was conducted in a hybrid seed production field in Argentina. Africanized honey bees collected significantly larger proportions of sunflower pollen than did European honey bees. The result suggests that Africanized bees would be more efficient for commercial sunflower seed production.
Basualdo
M
M
Area de Producción Apícola, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bedascarrasbure
E
E
De Jong
D
D
D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D006368:Helianthus