Mixed tree plantation as forage for European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.): A melissopalynological analysis
2024
Celma, Santa | Lazdiņa, Dagnija | Zuševica, Austra
This study aimed to assess the contribution of a tree plantation – its woody species and its understory vegetation – as forage for pollinators through melissopalynological analysis. European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) hives were located adjacent to a tenyear-old tree plantation consisting of blocks of aspen, willow, alder, birch, lime, maple and wild cherry. Pollen found in honey was analysed to determine the botanical origin of the honey. In total, 40 types of pollen were identified in the honey. In spring, predominant pollen originated from Salix spp. (willow), in summer – pollen of Brassicaceae (oilseed rape) dominated in the honey, but toward the late stage of summer multiflower honey was picked up. These findings confirm the importance of tree plantations as a foraging ground for bees in the beginning of vegetation season, with melliferous mass-flowering woody species serving as the primary source of the honey. This emphasizes the essential role these species play in sustaining continuous food resources for pollinators throughout the vegetation period within the landscape context. However, during the summer, the understory flora of the tree plantation was poorly utilised by honey bees. Even though 65 species of vascular plants were present in the understory, honey bees exhibited a preference for nearby mass-flowering crops of oilseed rape. It should be investigated further if this behaviour temporarily alleviates the competition with wild pollinators in surrounding ecosystems.
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Publisher LBTU Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences
This bibliographic record has been provided by Fundamental Library of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies