Journal of Apiculture (한국양봉학회지)

The Apicultural Society of Korea (한국양봉학회)
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Effect of Climatic Conditions on Pollination Behavior of Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in the Greenhouse Cultivation of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.)

  • Lee, Kyeong Yong (Department of Agricultural Biology, The National Institute of Agricultural Science, RDA) ;
  • Lim, Jeonghyeon (Fruits & Vegetables Research Institute, The Jeollabuk-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services) ;
  • Yoon, Hyung Joo (Department of Agricultural Biology, The National Institute of Agricultural Science, RDA) ;
  • Ko, Hyeon-Jin (Department of Agricultural Biology, The National Institute of Agricultural Science, RDA)
  • Received : 2018.11.09
  • Accepted : 2018.11.28
  • Published : 2018.11.30
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Abstract

We investigated the pollination activity of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in terms of different climatic conditions in the greenhouse cultivation of watermelons (Citrullus lanatus L.) during winter. The aim of the study was to search a climatic condition which effectively can be use honeybees as pollinators during the flowering season of watermelons in winter or early spring. The average climatic conditions inside the greenhouse during the bee activity time (BAT)-between 10:00 and 16:00 in mid-Februarywere a temperature of $30.4^{\circ}C$, relative humidity of 53.7%, illuminance level of 22,728.4lx, and UV level of $0.233mW/cm^2$. Bee traffic and foraging activity were at their greatest at 10:00 and tended to decrease with time. Male watermelon flowers typically dehisced between 10:00 and 12:00. Climatic conditions were significantly correlated with bee activities, including bee traffic and foraging activity. Bee activities were positively correlated with temperature, illuminance level, and UV level but negatively correlated with relative humidity. Temperature had the greatest effect on honeybee behavior. Among the foraging honeybees, the number of high-flying bees that did not pollinate flowers showed a strong positive correlation with temperature, and the number of bees landing on the flowers showed a positive correlation with the UV level. The temperature range inside greenhouses at which the pollination activities of honeybees can be maintained efficiently during winter watermelon pollination was found to be $21{\sim}25^{\circ}C$.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : National Institute of Agricultural Sciences

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