OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORAGING BEHAVIOR OF COMMERCIAL BOMBUS TERRESTRIS L. AND APIS MELLIFERA L. COLONIES ON SOME CULTIVARS OF CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS L. IN CAGED CONDITIONS

Abstract

Carthamus tinctorius L. (Safflower) has been cultivated especially for its seed. Pollination success of safflower can affect the seed yield and pollination rates can be influenced by temperature, humidity and pollinating insect abundance. Within this context, foraging activities of commercial Bombus terrestris L. and Apis mellifera L. colonies were investigated on four different cultivars (Balcı, Dincer, Linans and Remzibey-05) of safflower. The visitation rates and the abundance of the bees, evaluated with the temperature and relative humidity. Three 90 m² fields were prepared and every field was divided into four parcels. Before the blooming period of the plant starts, the fields were caged with teflon net. In the first and second cages, there was only one commercial B. terrestris and A. mellifera colony respectively. In the third cage there were both B. terrestris and A. mellifera colonies. The highest numbers of bees recorded at about 09:00 a.m. and it was found that the abundance of the bees decreased dramatically after this peak. The competition between two managed bees caused declines in the visitation rates of both species. Among the four cultivars, Dincer was the most preferred one while Linans was the least

Keywords

• Apis mellifera,Bombus terrestris,foraging activity,Carthamus tinctorius

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