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The South American Black Bumblebee ( Bombus pauloensis ) as a Potential Pollinator of Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa )

Author

Listed:
  • Denise Nery

    (Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
    Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina)

  • Florencia Palottini

    (Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
    Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
    Current address: Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-UBA, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina.)

  • Walter M. Farina

    (Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
    Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina)

Abstract

We assessed if the commercially reared South American bumblebee Bombus pauloensis forages resources in alfalfa crops by monitoring their colony activity daily. We analyzed the pollen collected by using pollen traps specifically designed for B. pauloensis nests and counted the number of bumblebees in the crop. Consequentially, colony activity was found to be highest during the mornings; 65% of the pollen trap samples analyzed contained alfalfa pollen grains, and 60% of the total pollen loads were identified as alfalfa pollen. Although the honey bee was the predominant pollinator observed in the crop, the high percentage of alfalfa pollen found in the pollen traps of B. pauloensis nests suggests that this species forages resources in alfalfa crops and could be considered a potential managed pollinator.

Suggested Citation

  • Denise Nery & Florencia Palottini & Walter M. Farina, 2024. "The South American Black Bumblebee ( Bombus pauloensis ) as a Potential Pollinator of Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa )," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:12:p:2192-:d:1534088
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