Abstract
Insect pollinators are a key component in providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. Honey bees are regarded as beneficial insects for their crucial role in pollination besides their valuable products like honey, wax, pollen, venom, royal jelly and propolis. Modern commercial crop production is increasingly dependent on managed pollinators (e.g. the introduction of honey bee; Apis mellifera and Apis cerana colonies into orchards or fields to improve crop production). Owing to various biotic and abiotic stresses in honey bees, relying only on them for commercial pollination may lead to insufficient pollination in different crops. The bumble bees and stingless bees are effective available pollinators for greenhouse crops. Managed non-Apis bees (Osmia, Nomia, Megachile) are effective pollinators of specific crops and can be used commercially in crop production. Other important pollinators include wasp, syrphid flies, butterfly and some beetles. The crop pollination by insects estimated approximate $361 billion of crop production worldwide. To ensure higher crop production, it is mandatory to conserve the native pollinators, and manage wild bees and other non-hymenopteran pollinators for wider ecosystem stability and food security. Potential of various groups of insects (the honey bees, stingless bees, bumble bees; solitary bees: blue-banded bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, alkali bees; syrphid flies, butterflies, wasps and beetles) for crop pollination is reviewed in this chapter.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abak K, Dasgan H, Ikiz O, Uygun N (1997) Pollen production and quality of pepper grown in unheated greenhouses during winter and the effect of bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) pollination on fruit yield and quality. Acta Hortic 437:303–307
Abrol DP (2010) Foraging behaviour of Apis florea F., an important pollinator of Allium cepa L. J Apic Res 49(4):318–325
Aizen MA, Garibaldi LA, Cunningham SA, Klein AM (2008) Long-term global trends in crop yield and production reveal no current pollination shortage but increasing pollinator dependency. Curr Biol 18:1572–1575
Banda HJ, Paxton RJ (1991) Pollination of greenhouse tomatoes by bees. Acta Hortic 288:194–198
Beach JH (1982) Beetle pollination of Cyclanthus bipartitus (Cyclanthaceae). Am J Bot 69(7):1074–1081
Bell MC, Spooner-Hart RN, Haigh AM (2006) Pollination of greenhouse tomatoes by the Australian bluebanded bee Amegilla (Zonamegilla) holmesi (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Econ Entomol 99(2):437–442
Biddinger DJ, Joshi NK, Rajotte EG, Halbrendt NO, Pulig C, Naithani KJ, Vaughan M (2013) An immunomarking method to determine the foraging patterns of Osmia cornifrons and resulting fruit set in a cherry orchard. Apidologie 44(6):738–749
Bohart GE (1972) Management of wild bees for the pollination of crops. Annu Rev Entomol 17:287–312
Bosch J, Kemp WP (2001) How to manage the blue orchard bee as an orchard pollinator, Handbook No. 5. Sustainable Agriculture Network, Beltsville
Bosch J, Kemp WP (2005) Alfalfa leafcutting bee population dynamics, flower availability, and pollination rates in two Oregon alfalfa fields. J Econ Entomol 98(4):1077–1086
Bosch J, Kemp WP, Trostle GE (2006) Bee population returns and cherry yields in an orchard pollinated with Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). J Econ Entomol 99(2):408–413
Campbell D, Bischoff M, Lord JM, Robertson AW (2010) Flower color influences insect visitation in alpine New Zealand. Ecology 91(9):2638–2649
Can-Alonso C, Quezada-Euan JJG, Xiu-Ancona P, Moo-Valle H, Valdovinos-Nunez GR, Medina-Peralta S (2005) Pollination of ‘criollo’ avocados (Persea americana) and the behaviour of associated bees in subtropical Mexico. J Apic Res 44:3–8
Cane JH (2002) Pollinating bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) of US alfalfa compared for rates of pod and seed set. J Econ Entomol 95(1):22–27
Cane JH (2008a) A native ground-nesting bee (Nomia melanderi) sustainably managed to pollinate alfalfa across an intensively agricultural landscape. Apidologie 39(3):315–323
Cane JH (2008b) An effective, manageable bee for pollination of Rubus bramble fruits, Osmia aglaia. Acta Hortic 777:459–464
Crane E (1991) Apis species of tropical Asia as pollinators, and some rearing methods for them. Acta Hortic 288:29–48
Crane E, Walker P (1983) The impact of pest management on bees and pollination. Tropical Development and Research Institute, College House, Wrights Lane, London
Cruden RW, Hermann-Parker SM (1979) Butterfly pollination of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, with observations on a psychophilous syndrome. J Ecol 67(1):155–168
Dafni A (1998) The threat of Bombus terrestris spread. Bee World 79:113–140
Dafni A, Bernhardt P, Shmida A, Ivri Y, Greenbaum S, O’Toole C, Losito L (1990) Red bowl-shaped flowers: convergence for beetle pollination in the Mediterranean region. Israel J Bot 39(1-2):81–92
Delfinado-Baker M, Baker EW, Phoon ACG (1989) Mites (Acari) associated with bees (Apidae) in Asia, with description of a new species. Am Bee J 129:609–613
Eardley CD, Gikungu MW, Schwarz MP (2009) Bee conservation in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar: diversity, status and threats. Apidologie 40:355–366
Enz J (2001) Nectar robbers and non-nectar robbers: their visitation rates and effects on seed set in Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica (L.). In: Pers. Botany 2001 Conference, Plants and People, August 12–16, 2001, Albuquerque, NM
Fairey DT, Lefkovitch LP, Lieverse JAC (1989) The leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.): a potential pollinator for red clover. J Appl Entomol 107(1–5):52–57
Fisher RM, Pomeroy N (1989) Pollination of greenhouse muskmelons by bumble bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J Econ Entomol 82(4):1061–1066
Frank SA (1984) The behavior and morphology of the fig wasps Pegoscapus assuetus and P. jimenezi: descriptions and suggested behavioral characters for phylogenetic studies. Psyche 91:298–307
Free JB (1993) Insect pollination of crops, 2nd edn. Academic Press, London
Fussell M, Corbet SA (1991) Forage for bumble bees and honey bees in farmland: a case study. J Apic Res 30:87–97
Galil J, Meiri L (1981) Number and structure of anthers in fig syconia in relation to behaviour of the pollen vector. New Phytol 88:83–87
Gallai N, Salles JM, Settele J, Vaissiere BE (2009) Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with world pollinator decline. Ecol Econ 68:810–821
Gardner KE, Ascher JS (2006) Notes on the native bee pollinators in New York apple orchards. J N Y Entomol Soc 114(1):86–91
Gemmill-Herren B, Ochieng AO (2008) Role of native bees and natural habitats in eggplant (Solanum melongena) pollination in Kenya. Agric Ecosyst Environ 127(1):31–36
Goettel MS, Richards KW, Schaalje GB (1991) Bioassay of selected fungicides for control of chalkbrood in alfalfa leafcutter bees, Megachile rotundata. Apidologie 22(5):509–522
Goldblatt P, Manning JC (2002) Evidence for moth and butterfly pollination in Gladiolus (Iridaceae-Crocoideae). Ann Mo Bot Gard 89(1):110–124
Gottsberger G (1977) Some aspects of beetle pollination in the evolution of flowering plants. In: Plant systematics and evolution, vol 1. Springer, Vienna, pp 211–226
Gottsberger G (1989) Beetle pollination and flowering rhythm of Annona spp. (Annonaceae) in Brazil. Plant Syst Evol 167(3):165–187
Goulson D, Ollerton J, Sluman C (1997) Foraging strategies in the small skipper butterfly, Thymelicus flavus: when to switch? Anim Behav 53:1009–1016
Greenleaf SS, Kremen C (2006) Wild bee species increase tomato production and respond differently to surrounding land use in Northern California. Biol Conserv 133(1):81–87
Greenleaf SS, Kremen C (2007) Wild bees enhance honey bees’ pollination of hybrid sunflower. Proc Natl Acad Sci 103(37):13890–13895
Heard TA (1999) The role of stingless bees in crop pollination. Annu Rev Entomol 44(1):183–206
Herre EA, Machado CA, Bermingham E, Nason JD, Windsor DM, McCafferty SS, VanHouten W, Bachmann K (1996) Molecular phylogenies of figs and their pollinator wasps. J Biogeogr 23:521–530
Hogendoorn K, Steen Z, Schwarz MP (2000) Native Australian carpenter bees as a potential alternative to introducing bumble bees for tomato pollination in greenhouses. J Apic Res 39:67–74
Hogendoorn K, Gross CL, Sedgley M, Keller MA (2006) Increased tomato yield through pollination by native Australian Amegilla chlorocyanea (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). J Econ Entomol 99(3):828–833
Hussain A, Abdulaziz SA, Mohamed S, Michael SE (2016) Notes on the nesting biology of the small carpenter bee Ceratina smaragdula (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in northwestern Pakistan. Fla Entomol 99(1):89–93
Inoue T, Sakagami SF, Salmah S, Nukmal N (1984) Discovery of successful absconding in the stingless bee Trigona (Tetragonula) laeviceps. J Apic Res 23:136–142
Jarlan A, De Oliveira D, Gingras J (1996) Pollination of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in green-house by the syrphid fly (Eristalis tenax L.). Acta Hortic 437:335–339
Jarlan A, De Oliveira D, Gingras J (1997) Pollination by Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae) and seed set of greenhouse sweet pepper. J Econ Entomol 90(6):1646–1649
Johnson SD, Bond WJ (1994) Red flowers and butterfly pollination in the fynbos of South Africa. In: Plant-animal interactions in Mediterranean-type ecosystems, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 137–148
Kakutani T, Inoue T, Tezuka T, Maeta Y (1993) Pollination of strawberry by the stingless bee, Trigona minangkabau, and the honey bee, Apis mellifera: an experimental study of fertilization efficiency. Res Popul Ecol 35:95–111
Kearns CA, Inouye DW (1997) Pollinators, flowering plants, and conservation biology. Bioscience 47:297–307
Kearns C, Inouye D, Waser N (1998) Endangered mutualisms: the conservation biology of plant-pollinator interactions. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 29:83–112
Kevan PG, Clark E, Thomas VG (1990) Insect pollinators and sustainable agriculture. Am J Altern Agric 5(1):13–22
Khan MS, Srivastava P (2013) Insect pollinators and crop pollination, Research Bulletin No. 189. Directorate of Research, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, pp 70
Klein AM, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T (2003) Bee pollination and fruit set of Coffea arabica and C. canephora (Rubiaceae). Am J Bot 90:153–157
Klein AM, Vaissiere BE, Cane JH, Steffan-Dewenter I, Cunningham SA, Kremen C, Tscharntke T (2007) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proc R Soc Lond B 274:303–313
Kremen C, Williams NM, Thorp RW (2002) Crop pollination from native bees at risk from agricultural intensification. Proc Natl Acad Sci 99(26):16812–16816
Kremen C, Williams NM, Aizen MA, Gemmill-Herren B, LeBuhn G, Minckley R, Packer L, Potts SG, Roulston T, Steffan-Dewenter I, Vazquez DP, Winfree R, Adams L, Crone EE, Greenleaf SS, Keitt TH, Klein A-M, Regetz J, Ricketts TH (2007) Pollination and other ecosystem services produced by mobile organisms: a conceptual framework for the effects of land-use change. Ecol Lett 10:299–314
Krishnan S, Kushalappa CG, Shaanker RU, Ghazoul J (2012) Status of pollinators and their efficiency in coffee fruit set in a fragmented landscape mosaic in South India. Basic Appl Ecol 13(3):277–285
Kueneman T (1995) The pollinator. Greenhouse Production News, (Sept), pp 8–10
Kwon YJ, Saeed S (2003) Effect of temperature on the foraging activity of Bombus terrestris L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on greenhouse hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Appl Entomol Zool 38(3):275–280
Larson BMH, Kevan PG, Inouye DW (2001) Flies and flowers: taxonomic diversity of anthophiles and pollinators. Can Entomol 133:439–465
Lautenbach S, Sepplett R, Leibscher J, Dormann C (2012) Spatial and temporal trends of global pollination benefit. PLoS One 7(4):e35954
Losey JE, Vaughan M (2006) The economic value of ecological services provided by insects. Bioscience 56(4):311–323
Maccagnani B, Ladurner E, Santi F, Burgio G (2003) Osmia cornuta (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) as a pollinator of pear (Pyrus communis): fruit-and seed-set. Apidologie 34(3):207–216
Maccagnani B, Burgio G, Stanisavljevic LZ, Maini S (2007) Osmia cornuta management in pear orchards. Bull Insectolo 60(1):77–82
MacKenzie K (2009) Pollination practices and the use of bees in Vaccinium crops. Acta Hortic 810:527–538
Maeta Y (1990) Utilization of wild bees. Farming Japan 24(6):13–22
Manzoorul-Haq, Rafie-ul-Din M, Ghaffar A (1978) Effect of insect pollination on fruit bearing in Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata), and physical and chemical properties of the fruit. J Apic Res 17(1):47–49
McGregor SE (1976) Insect pollination of cultivated crop plants, Agriculture Handbook No. 496. US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC
Meisels S, Chiasson H (1997) Effectiveness of Bombus impatiens Cr. as pollinators of greenhouse sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Acta Hortic 437:425–429
Molbo D, Machado CA, Sevenster JG, Keller L, Herre EA (2003) Cryptic species of fig-pollinating wasps: implications for the evolution of the fig–wasp mutualism, sex allocation, and precision of adaptation. Proc Natl Acad Sci 100(10):5867–5872
Morandin LA, Laverty TM, Kevan PG (2001) Bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) activity and pollination levels in commercial tomato greenhouses. J Econ Entomol 94(2):462–467
Morris MC (2000) Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) “companion plants” can attract hover flies, and may reduce infestation in cabbages. N Z J Crop Hortic Sci 28:213–217
Munyuli T (2012) Assessment of indicator species of butterfly assemblages in coffee–banana farming system in central Uganda. Afr J Ecol 50:77–89
Mussen EC (2007) Don’t underestimate the value of honey bees! Notes of University of California, Davis, pp 1–2
Nefdt RJ, Compton SG (1996) Regulation of seed and pollinator production in the fig-fig wasp mutualism. J Anim Ecol 65:170–182
Occhiuzzi P (2000) Stingless bees pollinate green-house Capsicum. Aussie Bee 13:15
Pansarin ER (2008) Reproductive biology and pollination of Govenia utriculata: a syrphid fly orchid pollinated through a pollen-deceptive mechanism. Plant Species Biol 23(2):90–96
Partap U, Verma LR (1994) Pollination of radish by Apis cerana. J Apic Res 33(4):237–241
Pitts-Singer TL, Cane JH (2011) The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata: the world’s most intensively managed solitary bee. Annu Rev Entomol 56:221–237
Rahman A, Rahman S (2000) Effect of honey bee (Apis cerana indica) pollination on seedset and yield of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). Indian J Agr Sci 70(3):168–169
Ramirez W (1969) Fig wasps: mechanisms of pollen transfer. Science 163:580–581
Ramirez W, Malavasi J (1997) Fig wasps: mechanisms of pollen transfer in Malvanthera and Pharmacosycea figs. Rev Biol Trop 46:1635–1640
Richards AJ (2001) Does low biodiversity resulting from modern agricultural practice affect crop pollination and yield? Ann Bot 88(2):165–172
Ricketts TH (2004) Tropical forest fragments enhance pollinator activity in nearby coffee crops. Conserv Biol 18:1262–1271
Roubik DW (2002) The value of bees to the coffee harvest. Nature 417:708
Sadeh A, Shmida A, Keasar T (2007) The carpenter bee Xylocopa pubescens as an agricultural pollinator in greenhouses. Apidologie 38(6):508–517
Sakai S, Inoue T (1999) A new pollination system: dung-beetle pollination discovered in Orchidantha inouei (Lowiaceae, Zingiberales) in Sarawak, Malaysia. Am J Bot 86(1):56–61
Sampson BJ, Danka RG, Stringer SJ (2004) Nectar robbery by bees Xylocopa virginica and Apis mellifera contributes to the pollination of rabbiteye blueberry. J Econ Entomol 97(3):735–740
Santos SA, Roselino AC, Bego LR (2008) Pollination of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae), by the stingless bees Scaptotrigona aff. depilis moure and Nannotrigona testaceicornis Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) in greenhouses. Neotrop Entomol 37(5):506–512
Santos SB, Roselino AC, Hrncir M, Bego LR (2009) Pollination of tomatoes by the stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata and the honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Genet Mol Res 8(2):751–757
Sarto MCL, Peruquetti RC, Campos LAO (2005) Evaluation of the Neotropical stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as pollinator of greenhouse tomatoes. J Econ Entomol 98:260–266
Shivanna KR (2015) Management of pollination services to enhance crop productivity. In: Plant biology and biotechnology. Springer, Karnataka, pp 697–711
Slaa EJ, Chaves LAS, Malagodi-Braga KS, Hofstede FE (2006) Stingless bees in applied pollination: practice and perspectives. Apidologie 37(2):293–315
Sornsathapornkul P, Owens JN (1998) Pollination biology in a Tropical Acacia Hybrid (A. mangium Wild. × A. auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth). Ann Bot 81:631–645
Soroka JJ, Goerzen DW, Falk KC, Bett KE (2001) Alfalfa leafcutting bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) pollination of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) under isolation tents for hybrid seed production. Can J Plant Sci 81:199–204
Southwick EE, Southwick L (1992) Estimating the economic value of honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as agricultural pollinators in the United States. J Econ Entomol 85:621–633
Stubbs CS, Drummond FA (1997) Management of the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), for pollination of wild lowbush blueberry. J Kansas Entomol Soc 70:81–93
Tangmitcharoen S, Owens JN (1997) Floral biology, pollination, pistil receptivity, and pollen-tube growth of teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.). Ann Bot 79:227–241
Tangmitcharoen S, Tasen W, Owens JN, Bhodthipuks J (2009) Fruit set as affected by pollinators of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.) at two tree spacings in a seed orchard. Sonklanakarin J Sci Technol 31(3):255–259
Tepedino VJ (1997) A comparison of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) and the honey bee (Apis mellifera) as pollinators for hybrid carrot seed in field cages. Acta Hortic 437:457–461
Van Heemert C, De Ruijter A, Van den Eijnde J, Van der Steen J (1990) Year round production of bumble bee colonies for crop pollination. Bee World 71(2):54–56
Verma LR, Partap U (1994) Foraging behaviour of Apis cerana on cauliflower and cabbage and its impact on seed production. J Apic Res 33(4):231–236
Vicens N, Bosch J (2000) Pollinating efficacy of Osmia cornuta and Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae, Apidae) on ‘red Delicious’ apple. Environ Entomol 29(2):235–240
Walters SA, Taylor BH (2006) Effects of honey bee pollination on pumpkin fruit and seed yield. Hortscience 41(2):370–373
Watanabe ME (1994) Pollination worries rise as honey bees decline. Science 265:1170
Willmer PG, Bataw AM, Highes JP (1994) The superiority of bumblebees to honey bees as pollinators: insect visits to raspberry flowers. Ecol Entomol 19:271–284
Winfree R, Williams NM, Dushoff J, Kremen C (2007) Native bees provide insurance against ongoing honey bee losses. Ecol Lett 10(11):1105–11113
Young HJ (1986) Beetle pollination of Dieffenbachia longispatha (Araceae). Am J Bot 73(6):931–944
Zisovich AH, Goldway M, Schneider D, Steinberg S, Stern E, Stern RA (2012) Adding bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L., Hymenoptera: Apidae) to pear orchards increases seed number per fruit, fruit set, fruit size and yield. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 87(4):353–359
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Khan, M.S., Yogi, M.K. (2017). Insect Crop Pollinators. In: Omkar (eds) Industrial Entomology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3304-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3304-9_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3303-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3304-9
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)