西方蜜蜂和兰州熊蜂在设施桃园的访花偏好性比较

【目的】为了比较西方蜜蜂 Apis mellifera 和兰州熊蜂 Bombus lantschouensis 在设施桃园内对不同时期桃花的访花偏好性、以及这种偏好性与花粉活力和采集花粉花蜜之间的关系。【方法】记录2种蜂在温室桃园内访问早期花、中期花和晚期花的比例，测定桃花不同时期的花粉活力以及2种蜂携带的花粉活力，观察2种蜂采集花蜜和采集花粉的成功率，统计2种蜂访花过程中桃花所处的枝条数及植株数。【结果】桃花不同时期的花粉活力差异显著，早期花花药未开裂，花粉未释放，中期花花粉活力（58.3%）显著高于晚期花花粉活力（34.2%）（P<0.01）；西方蜜蜂更加偏好访问中期花，对中期花的访问率高达75.3%，显著高于兰州熊蜂对中期花的访问率（49.2%）（P<0.01）；西方蜜蜂携带的花粉活力（92.1%）显著高于兰州熊蜂携带的花粉活力（72.9%），但是西方蜜蜂采集花粉和采集花蜜的成功率均低于兰州熊蜂（P<0.01）；在访问一定数量的桃花过程中，兰州熊蜂在设施桃园内访问的枝条数和植株数较多，分布范围较广（P<0.01）。【结论】和兰州熊蜂相比，西方蜜蜂对活力花粉的辨别能力更强，更加偏好访问花粉活力较高的花朵，这种偏好性导致其采集花粉花蜜的成功率降低。

Foraging preference of the honeybee Apis mellifera and the bumblebee Bombus lantschouensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in peach greenhouse

【Aim】 This study aims to compare the foraging preferences of the honeybee Apis mellifera and the bumblebee Bombus lantschouensis when visiting greenhouse peach flowers in relation to the viability of pollen and the pollen/nectar collection rates of the two bee species. 【Methods】 The frequency of visits by the two bee species to flowers at the early, peak and late stages was recorded in greenhouses. The viability of pollen from flowers at different stages was tested, together with the viability of pollen carried by the two bee species, and the collection rate of pollen foragers and nectar foragers was counted. The numbers of trees and of branches visited by the two bee species were also recorded. 【Results】 Pollen viability varied widely among flowers of different stages, no pollen was released from flowers at the early stage, and the viability of pollen in flowers at the peak stage (58.3%) was significantly higher than that in flowers at the late stage (34.2%)(P<0.01). A. mellifera specialized more in a high frequency of visits to flowers at the peak stage (75.3%). B. lantschouensis also had a preference for flowers at the peak stage, but its frequency of visits (49.2%) was lower than that of A. mellifera(P<0.01). Viability of pollen carriedby A. mellifera (92.1%) was significantly higher than that of pollen carried by B.lantschouensis(72.9%), but A.mellifera had a lower collection rate both for pollen foragers and for nectar foragers than B. lantschouensis (P<0.01). When visiting a fixed number of peach flowers, B.lantschouensis was distributed more widely (visiting more branches and more trees) than A.mellifera in the greenhouse (P<0.01). 【Conclusion】 Compared with the bumblebee B.lantschouensis, the honeybee A. mellifera prefers foraging from flowers with pollen with higher viability, but this greater specialization reduces its pollen and nectar collection rate during visits.