Pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Croton macrostachyus (Euphorbiaceae) flowers at Dang, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/09/2016
Views (271) Download (13)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Croton macrostachyus (Euphorbiaceae) flowers at Dang, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

Népidé Ndobadé Carine, Tchuenguem Fohouo Fernand-Nestor
Int. J. Biosci.9( 3), 75-88, September 2016.
Certificate: IJB 2016 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of Apis mellifera adansonii on fruit and seed yields of Croton macrostachyus, the foraging and pollinating activities of worker bees were studied in Ngaoundéré. From May to June in 2013 and 2014, the experiments were carried out on 375 inflorescences divided in three treatments: two treatments differentiated according to the presence or absence of protection regarding honeybee and other insects visits; the third protected and uncovered when flowers were open, to allow honeybee visits. Worker’s seasonal rhythm of activity, their foraging behavior on flowers, their pollination efficiency, the fruiting rate and percentage of normal seeds were evaluated. Results show that, honeybee foraged on C. macrostachyus flowers throughout its whole blooming period. This bee intensely harvested nectar and pollen. The mean number of individuals foraging simultaneously on 1000 flowers was 21.25 in 2013 and 56.14 in 2014. The mean duration of a visit per flower was 6.07 sec in 2013 and 5.69 sec in 2014. The mean foraging speed was 10.61 flowers/min in 2013 and 12.28 flowers/min in 2014. The fruiting rate and the percentage of normal seeds of unprotected inflorescences were significantly higher than those protected from insects. Through its pollination efficiency, this bee provoked a significant increase of fruiting rate by 44.82% (2013) and 61.85% (2014) as well as the percentage of normal seeds by 78.60% (2013) and 76.69% (2014). The installation of honeybee colonies close to C. macrostachyus populations could be recommended to increase fruit and seed yields and to increase honey production in the region.

VIEWS 12

Abou-Shaara HF. 2014. The foraging behaviour of honey bees, Apis mellifera: a review. Veterinarni Medicina 1, 1- 10.

Adamou M, Tchuenguem FFN. 2014. Foraging and pollination behavior of Apis mellifera adansonii L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae) on Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst; Ex A. Rich.) Stapf. 1919 flowers at Dang (Ngaoundere-Cameroon). International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research 6, 62- 74.

Annelise SR, Betina B, Diego KL. 2011. Honey bee contribution to canola pollination in Southern Brazil. Scientia Agricola 2, 255- 259.

Arbonnier M. 2002. Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Edition: CIRAD-MNHN-UICN. 573 p.

Azo’o EM, Messi J, Tchuenguem FFN, Tamesse LJ, Kekeunou S, Pando JB. 2010. Foranging behaviour of Apis mellifera adansonii and its impact on pollination, fruit and seed yields of Citrulus lanatus at Nkolbisson (Yaounde, Cameroon). Cameroon Journal of Experimental Biology 1, 41- 48. http://www.ajol.info/browse-journals.php

Bakenga M, Bahati M, Balagizi K. 2000. Inventaire des plantes mellifères de Bukavu et ses environs (Sud-Kivu, Est de la République Démocratique du Congo). Tropicultura 18, 89- 93.

Basualdo M, Bedascarrasbure E, De Jong D. 2000. Africanized Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Have a Greater Fidelity to Sunflowers than European Bees. Journal of Economic Entomology 2, 304- 307.

Burkill HM. 1994. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 636 p.

Crane E. 1999. The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting. Duckworth: London.

Demarly Y. 1977. Génétique et amélioration des plantes. Masson (ed.), Paris, 577 p.

Djonwangwé D, Tchuenguem FFN, Messi J, Brückner D. 2011a. Foraging and pollination activities of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Apidae) on Syzygium guineense var. guineense (Myrtaceae) flowers at Ngaoundéré (Cameroon). Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences 3, 1325- 1333. http://www.biosciences.elewa.org/JAPS

Djonwangwé D, Tchuenguem FFN, Messi J. 2011b. Foraging and pollination activities of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera : Apidae) on Ximenia americana (Olacaceae) flowers at Ngaoundere (Cameroon). International Research Journal of Plant Science 6, 170- 178. http://www.interesjournals.org/IRJPS

Dongock ND, Foko J, Pinta JY, Tchoumbé J, Zango P. 2004. Inventaire et identification des plantes mellifères de la zone soudano-guinéenne d’altitude de l’Ouest Cameroun. Tropicultura 3, 139-145.

Douka C, Tchuenguem FFN. 2013. Foraging and pollination behavior of Apis mellifera adansonii L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae) on Phaseolus vulgaris (Fabaceae) flowers at Maroua (Cameroon). International Journal of Plant Sciences 2, 45- 54. http://www.interesjournals.org/IRJPS

Emerson D, Chambó, Newton TE, Regina CG, José BDJ, Maria CCRT, Vagner AT. 2014. Pollination of Rapeseed (Brassica napus) by Africanized Honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Two Sowing Dates. Anais da Academia Brasleira de Ciências 4 Rio de Janeiro. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201420140134

Esther NOA, Fernand-Nestor TF, Champlain DL. 2015. Foraging and pollination behavior of Apis mellifera adansonii (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Physalis micrantha (Solanales: Solanaceae) flowers at Bambui (Nord West, Cameroon). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 6, 250- 256.

FAO. 2000, Trade Yearbook. Rome (Italie) 54, 180- 183.

Fameni TS, Tchuenguem FFN, Brückner D. 2012. Pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera adansonii (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Callistemon rigidus (Myrtaceae) flowers at Dang (Ngaoundere, Cameroon). International Journal of Tropical Insect Science 1, 2- 11.

Fichtl R, Adi A. 1994. Honeybee Flora of Ethiopia Margraf Verlag. Weikerskein. In french.

Frisch KV. 1969. Vie et mœurs des abeilles. ed. Albin Michel, Paris, 256 p.

Hill PSM, Wells PH, Wells H. 1997. Spontanoues flower constancy and learning in honey bees as a function of colour. Animal Behaviour 3, 615- 627.

Inades, 2000a. Report of the workshops with Adamawa beekeepers. INADES-Formation Cameroun, Maroua Antenna.

Jacob-Remacle A. 1989. Comportement de butinage de l’abeille domestique et des abeilles sauvages dans des vergers de pommiers en Belgique. Apidologie 20, 217- 285.

Jean-Prost P. 1987. Apiculture: Connaître l’abeille, conduire le rucher. 6ème édition Lavoisier, Paris, 579 p.

Klein AM, Vaissière BE, Cane JH, Steffan-Dewenter I, Cunningham SA, Kremen C, Tscharntke T. 2007. Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London (B) 274, 303- 313.

Leven L, Boot VWJ, Mutsaers M, Segeren P, Velthuis H. 2005. Beekeeping in the Tropics Agrodok Serie no. 32. Agromisa, 6th edn. Wageningen Publisher, Wageningen. 86 p.

Louveaux J. 1984. L’abeille domestique dans ses relations avec les plantes cultivées. In: «Pollinisation et Productions végétales», Pesson P., Louveaux J., (eds.) INRA, Paris, p. 527- 555.

Mazi S, Tchuenguem FFN, Brückner D. 2013. Foraging and pollination behaviour of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera, Apidae) on Gossypium hirsutum (Malvaceae) flowers at Dang (Ngaoundéré, Cameroon). Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology 3, 267- 280.

Montgomery BR. 2009. Do pollen carryover and pollinator constancy mitigate effects of competition for pollination? Oikos 118, 1084- 1092.

Nebojsˇa N, Marina MJ, Dragana R, Bjørn R, Ivan S, Zora DS, Mic´a M. 2013. Melliferous potential of Brassica napus L. subsp. napus (Cruciferae). Arthropod-Plant Interactions 7, 323-333.

Neves EL, Viana BF. 2011. Pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) on the monoecious plants Jatropha mollissima (Pohl) Baill. and Jatropha mutabilis (Pohl) Baill. (Euphorbiaceae) in a semi-arid Caatinga area, northeastern. Brazilian Journal of Biology 1, 107- 113.

Oertel E. 1961. Honey bees in production of white clover seed in the Southern states. American Bee Journal 101, 96- 99.

Paterson PD. 2006. Beekeeping. CTA/IBRA/MACMILLAN: London. 118 p.

Riedacker A. 1996. Plants that indicate what we do not see. L’Abeille de France 815, 205.

Rômulo AG, Rizzardo, Marcelo O, Milfont, Eva MS, Da Silva, Freitas BM. 2012. Apis mellifera pollination improves agronomic productivity of anemophilous castor bean (Ricinus communis). Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 84, 1137- 1145.

Roubik DW. 1995. Pollination of cultivated plants in the tropics. FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 188, 198 p.

Schneider SS, Hall HG. 1997. Diet selection and foraging distances of African and European-African hybrid honey bee colonies in Costa Rica. Insectes sociaux 44, 171- 187.

Segeren P, Mulder V, Beetsma J, Sommeijer R. 1996. Apiculture sous les tropiques. Agrodok 32, 5ème ed., Agromisa, Wageningen, 88 p.

Stephanie BK, Fernand-Nestor TF, Albert N. 2015. Impact of the foraging activity of Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Bradyrhizobium fertilizer on pollination and yield components of Glycine max L. (Fabaceae) in the field. International Journal of Biological Research 2, 64- 71. http://dx.doi.org/10.14419/ijbr.v3i2.5211

Tchuenguem FFN. 2005. Activité de butinage et de pollinisation d’Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Apinae) sur les fleurs de trois plantes à Ngaoundéré (Cameroun): Callistemon rigidus (Myrtaceae), Syzygium guineense var. macrocarpum (Myrtaceae) et Voacanga africana (Apocynaceae). Thèse de Doctorat d’Etat, Université de Yaoundé I, 103 p.

Tchuenguem FFN, Messi J, Pauly A. 2001. Activité de Meliponula erythra sur les fleurs de Dacryodes edulis et son impact sur la fructification. Fruits 56, 179- 188.

Tchuenguem FFN, Djonwangwé D, Brückner D. 2008a. Foraging behaviour of the African honey bee (Apis mellifera adansonii) on Annona senegalensis, Croton macrostachyus, Psorospermum febrifugum and Syzygium guineense var guineense flowers at Ngaoundere (Cameroon). Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 11, 719- 725.

Tchuenguem FFN, Djonwangwé D, Messi J, Brückner D. 2008b. Exploitation of Dichrostachys cinerea, Vitellaria paradoxa, Persea americana and Securidaca longepedunculata flowers by Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) at Dang (Ngaoundéré, Cameroon). International Journal of Tropical Insect Science 28, 225- 233.

Tchuenguem FFN, Djonwangwé D, Messi J, Brückner D. 2009a. Activité de butinage et de pollinisation d’Apis mellifera adansonii sur les fleurs de Helianthus annus (Asteraceae) à Ngaoundéré (Cameroun). Cameroon Journal of Experimental Biology 5, 1- 9.

Tchuenguem FFN, Ngakou A, Kegni BS. 2009b. Pollination and yield responses of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) to the foraging activity of Apis mellifera adansonii (Hymenoptera: Apidae) at Ngaoundere (Cameroon). African Journal of Biotechnology 8, 1988- 1996.

Tchuenguem FFN, Dounia. 2014 Foraging and pollination behavior of Apis mellifera adansonii (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on Glycine max L. flowers at Maroua. Journal of Research in Biology 1, 1209- 1219.

Williams IH, Carreck NL. 1994. Land use changes and honey bee forage plants. In Forage for Bees in an Agricultural Landscape, Matheson A (ed). IBRA: Cardiff; 7- 20.

Tsafack MAS, Muluh AG, Kamajou F, Verina I, Vabi BM. 2011. Etude comparative de la rentabilité de deux types d’apiculture au nord-ouest Cameroun. Tropicultura 1, 3- 7.

Weidenmüller A, Tautz J. 2002. In-hive behavior of pollen foragers (Apis mellifera) in honey bee colonies under conditions of high and low pollen need. Ethology 108, 205- 221. 

Wright GA, Skinner BD, Smith BH. 2002. Ability of honeybee, Apis mellifera, to detect and discriminate odors of varieties of canola (Brassica rapa and Brassica napus) and snopgragon flowers (Antirrhinum majus). Journal of Chemical Ecology 4, 721- 740.

Ximena AD, Rodrigo BU, José AC, Jorge LC, Marcelo TB. 2010. Evaluation of Yield Component Traits of Honeybee-Pollinated (Apis mellifera L.) Rapeseed Canola (Brassica napus L.). Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research 2, 309- 314.