Pollen Preference in Bumblebees

Abstract

The study examined the feeding preferences of Bombus terrestris bees for pollen with different compositions and origins. In the experiment conducted at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Beekeeping Research Center, micro-colonies of ten bumblebees each were fed with poppy and sunflower pollen mixed with syrup and prepared as perga. The amount of food consumed after 20 days was determined. According to the results, among the dietary groups of poppy syrup (PS), poppy perga (PP), sunflower syrup (SS), and sunflower perga (SP), the highest consumption was observed in the PS group. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in the average food consumption among the treatment groups (p < 0.05).The Duncan multiple comparison test showed that worker bumblebees had the highest food consumption in the PS group. Findings from the study, which also evaluated the protein and fat contents of the pollen, demonstrated that protein content influenced the feeding preferences of bumblebees. This information could be utilized in developing nutritional strategies for bumblebee colonies.

Keywords

• Bombus terrestris
• Pollen preference
• Poppy pollen
• Sunflower pollen
• Syrup
• Perga

Bombus Arılarında Polen Tercihi

Abstract

Çalışmada, Bombus terrestris arılarının farklı içerik ve orjine sahip polenleri tüketim tercihleri incelenmiştir. Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Arıcılık Araştırma Merkezi’nde yürütülen denemede, haşhaş ve ayçiçeği polenlerinin şurup ile karıştırılmış formları ile pergaları hazırlanarak onar adet mikro bombus kolonisi beslenmiştir. 20 gün sonundaki besin tüketim miktarları belirlemiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre haşhaş şurup (HŞ), haşhaş perga (HP), ayçiçeği şurup (AŞ) ve ayçiçeği perga (AP) olarak oluşturulan besinler içerisinde en fazla tüketimin HŞ grubunda olduğu belirlenmiş, verilere uygulananAraştırma sonuçlarına göre haşhaş şurup (HŞ), haşhaş perga (HP), ayçiçeği şurup (AŞ) ve ayçiçeği perga (AP) muamele grupları için besin tüketim ortalamaları arasındaki fark önemli bulunmuştur (p<0.05). Duncan çoklu karşılaştırma testi sonucuna göre Bombus işçi arılarının en fazla besin tüketiminin HŞ grubunda olduğu belirlenmiştir Polen (% protein-yağ) içeriklerinin de değerlendirmeye alındığı çalışmadan elde edilen bulgulara göre protein içeriğinin bombus arılarının besin tüketim tercihlerini değiştirdiği ortaya çıkmış ve kolonilerin beslenme stratejilerin geliştirilmesinde bu bilginin kullanılabileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

• Bombus terrestris,
• polen tercihi,
• haşhaş poleni
• ayçiçeği poleni,
• şurup,
• perga

References

1. Baky, M. H., Abouelela, M. B., Wang, K., & Farag, M. A. 2023. Bee Pollen and Bread as a Super-Food: A Comparative Review of Their Metabolome Composition and Quality Assessment in the Context of Best Recovery Conditions. Molecules, 28(2), 715. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28020715.
2. Corbet, S. A., Fussell, M., Ake, R., Fraser, A., Gunson, C., Savage, A., Smith, K., 1993. Temperature and the pollinating activity of social bees. Ecological Entomology, 18(1): 17-30.
3. DeGrandi-Hoffman, G., Chen, Y., & Simonds, R. 2013. The Effects of Pesticides on Queen Rearing and Virus Titers in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.). Insects, 4(1), 71–89. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects4010071.
4. Elisante, F., Ndakidemi, P., Arnold, S. E. J., Belmain, S. R., Gurr, G. M., Darbyshire, I., Xie, G., Stevenson, P. C. 2020. Insect pollination is important in a smallholder bean farming system. PeerJ, 8: e10102. http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10102.
5. Ercan, N., Onus, A. N., 2003. The effects of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L.) on fruit quality and yield of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in an unheated greenhouse. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences. https://brill.com/view/journals/ijps/51/4/article-p275_5.xml.
6. Ertosun, S. 2020. Thermal stability of nutraceuticals in bread enriched with bee products (Master's Thesis). Escola Superior Agrária de Bragança.
7. Free, J. B., 1993. Insect pollination of crops. Academic Press.
8. Garibaldi, L. A., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Winfree, R., Aizen, M. A., Bommarco, R., Cunningham, S. A., Kremen, C., Carvalheiro, L. G., Harder, L. D., Afik, O., ve diğerleri, 2013. Wild pollinators enhance fruit set of crops regardless of honey bee abundance. Science, 339(6127): 1608-1611.

9. Goulson, D., 2010. Bumblebees: Behaviour, ecology, and conservation. Oxford University Press.
10. Goulson, D., Nicholls, E., Botías, C., Rotheray, E. L., 2015. Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers. Science, 347(6229): 1255957.
11. Halder, S., Ghosh, S., Khan, R., Khan, A. A., Perween, T., Hasan, A. 2019. Role of pollination in fruit crops: A review. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 8(5): 695–702.
12. Gösterit A., Gürel F., 2018. The role of commercially produced bumblebees in Good Agricultural Practices. Scientific papers, Series D., Animal Science, 61, 201-204.
13. Kevan, P. G., Baker, H. G., 1983. Insects as flower visitors and pollinators. Annual Review of Entomology, 28(1): 407-453.
14. Kieliszek, M., Piwowarek, K., Kot, A. M., Błażejak, S., Chlebowska-Śmigiel, A., Wolska, I. 2018. Pollen and bee bread as new health-oriented products: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 71: 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2017.10.021.
15. Klein, A. M., Vaissière, B. E., Cane, J. H., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Cunningham, S. A., Kremen, C., Tscharntke, T., 2007. Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274(1608): 303-313.
16. Kraus, S., Gomez-Moracho, T., Pasquaretta, C., Latil, G., Dussutour, A., and Lihoreau, M., 2019. Bumblebees adjust protein and lipid collection rules to the presence of brood. Curr. Zool., 65: 437–446.
17. Krell, R. 1996. Value-Added Products From Beekeeping. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin, 124, 409p, Rome.
18. Leonhardt, S. D., Blüthgen, N. 2012. The same, but different: pollen foraging in honeybee and bumblebee colonies. Apidologie 43: 449-464.
19. Menz, M. H., Phillips, R. D., Winfree, R., Kremen, C., Aizen, M. A., Johnson, S. D., Dixon, K. W. 2011. Reconnecting plants and pollinators: challenges in the restoration of pollination mutualisms. Trends in Plant Science, 16(1): 4–12.
20. Mapalad, K. P., Leu, D., Nieh, J. C., 2008. Bumble bees heat up for high quality pollen. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211(14): 2239-2242.
21. Marshman, J., Blay-Palmer, A., Landman, K. 2019. Anthropocene crisis: Climate change, pollinators, and food security. Environments – MDPI, 6: 1–16.
22. Mayda, N. 2019. Arı Poleni ve Arı Ekmeğinin Palinolojik, Kimyasal ve Antioksidan Kapasitelerinin Belirlenmesi (Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Biyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara.
23. Meeus, I., Brown, M. J., De Graaf, D. C., Smagghe, G. 2011. Effects of invasive parasites on bumble bee declines. Conservation Biology, 25(4): 662-671.
24. Moerman, R., Vanderplanck, M., Fournier, D., Jacquemart, A. L., Michez, D. 2017. Pollen nutrients better explain bumblebee colony development than pollen diversity. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 10(2): 171-179.
25. Morandin, L. A., Winston, M. L., 2005. Wild bee abundance and seed production in conventional, organic, and genetically modified canola. Ecological Applications, 15(3): 871-881.
26. Omar, N. A., ZarI Man, N. A., Nurul Huda, A. 2021. Pollination in the Tropics: Role of Pollinator in Guava Production. International Journal of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, 4(3): 623-639.
27. Ollerton, J., Winfree, R., Tarrant, S., 2011. How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals? Oikos, 120(3): 321-326.
28. Pernal, S. F., Currie, R. W., 2000. Pollen quality of fresh and aged pollens collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Apidologie, 31(3): 375-385.
29. Rader, R., Bartomeus, I., Garibaldi, L. A., Garratt, M. P. D., Howlett, B. G., Winfree, R., Cunningham, S. A., Mayfield, M. M., Arthur, A. D., Andersson, G. K. S., ve ark., 2016. Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(1): 146-151.
30. Regali, A., Rasmont, P., 1995. Nouvelles méthodes de test pour l'évaluation du régime alimentaire chez des colonies orphelines de Bombus terrestris (L) (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Apidologie 26 (4): 273-281.
31. Roger, N., Michez, D., Wattiez, R., Sheridan, C., and Vanderplanck, M., 2017. Diet effects on bumblebee health. J. Insect Physiol., 96,:128–133.
32. Ribeiro, M. F., Duchateau, M. J., Velthuis, H. H. W., 1996. Comparison of the effects of two kinds of commercially available pollen on colony development and queen production in Bombus terrestris L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Apidologie, 27(3): 273-280.
33. Roulston, T. H., Cane, J. H., Buchmann, S. L., 2000. What governs protein content of pollen: pollinator preferences, pollen-pistil interactions, or phylogeny? Ecological Monographs, 70(4): 617-643.
34. Saha, H., Chatterjee, S., Paul, A., 2023. Role of Pollinators in Plant Reproduction and Food Security: A Concise Review. Res. J. Agric. Sci., 14(1): 72-79.
35. SAS, 2023. SAS/STAT Software Version 9.4 for Windows. Cary, NC, USA: SAS Institute Inc.
36. Vanbergen, A. J., Insect Pollinators Initiative, 2013. Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 11(5): 251-259.
37. Vanderplanck, M., Moerman, R., Rasmont, P., Lognay, G., Wathelet, B., Wattiez, R., Michez, D., 2014. How does pollen chemistry impact development and feeding behaviour of polylectic bees? PLOS ONE, 9(1): e86209.
38. Vaudo, A. D., Patch, H. M., Mortensen, D. A., Tooker, J. F., Grozinger, C. M., 2015. Macronutrient ratios in pollen shape bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) foraging strategies and floral preferences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(28): 4035-4040.
39. Wahengbam, J., Raut, A, Pal, S., Banu A.N., 2019. Role of bumble bee in pollination. Annals of Biology, 35 (2): 290-295.