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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #136276
Title: BLUE ORCHARD BEES (OSMIA RIBIFLORIS) AS BLUEBERRY POLLINATORS FOR THE AMERICAN SOUTH

Author
item Sampson, Blair
item CANE, JAMES - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item Stringer, Stephen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/19/2002
Publication Date: 8/19/2002
Citation: Sampson, B.J., Cane, J.H., Stringer, S.J. 2002. Blue orchard bees (osmia ribifloris) as blueberry pollinators for the american south. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Osmia ribifloris Cresson is a solitary stem-nesting bee whose adult emergence perfectly coincide with the flowering periods of cultivated southern blueberries. An isolated case of extended prepupal dormancy occurred, but never reappeared in O. ribifloris populations raised in Mississippi. Adults foraged from 0700 - 1800 hrs, and flight was initiated at an air temperature as low as 9 deg. C. Females were comparatively slow pollinators visiting about 8 blueberry flowers/min. 55 (sd=7)flowers were visited per pollen trip, and 18 (SD=2) pollen trips were necessary to fully provision a nest cell. About 1,400,000 (sd=160,000) tetrads constituted a full blueberry pollen provision. Despite a lack of floral sonication, O. ribifloris was an efficient blueberry pollinator with rabbiteye blueberry flowers setting 33-67% seeded fruits.