Factors that determine the relative abundance of bumblebee species remain poorly understood, rendering management of rare and declining species difficult. Studies of bumblebee communities in the Americas suggest that there are strong competitive interactions between species with similar length tongues, and that this competition determines the relative abundance of species. In contrast, in Europ...

Wildflower mixes are often planted around field margins to provide forage for pollinators. Although seed for these mixtures is often wild-sourced, for species where agricultural cultivars are available, for example red clover (Trifolium pratense), cultivars can also be included. Previous evidence suggests that plant genetic background can have a strong influence on plant-arthropod interactions ...

Many pollinator populations are declining, with large economic and ecological implications. Parasites are known to be an important factor in the some of the population declines of honey bees and bumblebees, but little is known about the parasites afflicting most other pollinators, or the extent of interspecific transmission or vectoring of parasites. Here we carry out a preliminary screening of...

Peach Prunus persica (L.) Batsch is self-compatible and largely self-fertile, but under greenhouse conditions pollinators must be introduced to achieve good fruit set and quality. Because little work has been done to assess the effectiveness of different pollinators on peach trees under greenhouse conditions, we studied 'Okubo' peach in greenhouse tunnels near Beijing between 2012 and 2014. We ...

ABSTRACT One persistent question in animal navigation is how animals follow habitual routes between their home and a food source. Our current understanding of insect suggests an interplay visual memories, collision avoidance path integration, the continuous integration distance direction travelled. However, these behavioural modules have to be continuously updated with instantaneous information...

Disturbances can facilitate the spread of exotic plants, which establish mutualisms with bees, constituting invader complexes. However, a disturbance-mediated increase in flower resources also promote native floral visitors due to fact that plant-pollinator interactions are generalist. We experimentally tested these ideas northern Patagonian woodlands. In three sites, we examined effect harvest...

Lavender essential oil is widely used in pharmacy, perfumery and the food industry. It one of key oils aromatherapy due to its valuable pharmacological properties. The producers lavender are well aware that greatest quantity obtained near end inflorescence anthesis correlated with pollination as unpollinated flowers drop down. In addition, it has been demonstrated quality also highest at flower...