Bees and Nature

Year 2002, Volume: 02 Issue: 3, 22 - 25, 27.08.2002

Prof.Dr. Hikmet Özbek

Abstract

Bees are the most important pollinators of native and cultivated plants. There are 25.000 described species of bees in the World and approximately 2000 species in Turkey. Although honeybee is a good pollinator for many plant species, it rejects to collect nectar and pollen from some plants, conversely many native bee species forage on these plants and efficiently pollinate them. Some of the native bees are oligolectic pollinators of various plants.

Unfortunately almost all wild bees are under threat and are dramatically declining in Turkey, because of enormous habitat destruction, detrimental effect of overgrazing, reduced floral diversity, erosion, irregularly using pesticides and fertilizers, burning the cereal residues left in the field and forest fires. Melitta dimidiata, M. leporina, Rhophitoides canus, Meltturga clavicornis, Bombus incertus, B. sylvarum daghestanicus, B. armeniacus, B. niveatus were excellent and abundant pollinators of many plants. However, their population has been extremely declined and extincted in some localities since 1980s. Furthermore, Bombus fragrans, B. sulfureus, B. velox and B. brodmanni are endangered species. Local extinctions of these species and particularly oligoletic bees could result in some level of reduction plant species diversity. For the protection and conservation of wild bees, farmer, growers and technicians should be educated about the role of bees in agriculture and nature.

Keywords

Bees, Nature, Declining Bees

Arılar ve Doğa

Abstract

Dünyada 25.000, ülkemizde 2000’e yakın türü bulunan arılar, yabancı döllenmeye gereksinim duyan kültür ve yabani bitkilerde tozlaşmayı gerçekleştirerek çok büyük yararlar sağlarlar. Özellikle, doğada biyolojik çeşitliliğin devamında elzem olan bu böcek türleri çok büyük tehdit altındadırlar. Bazıları ”tehlike sınırında” türler durumuna düşmüşlerdir. 

Keywords

Arılar, Doğa, Arıların Azalması

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