Insect Crop Pollinators

Abstract

Insect pollinators are a key component in providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. Honey bees are regarded as beneficial insects for their crucial role in pollination besides their valuable products like honey, wax, pollen, venom, royal jelly and propolis. Modern commercial crop production is increasingly dependent on managed pollinators (e.g. the introduction of honey bee; Apis mellifera and Apis cerana colonies into orchards or fields to improve crop production). Owing to various biotic and abiotic stresses in honey bees, relying only on them for commercial pollination may lead to insufficient pollination in different crops. The bumble bees and stingless bees are effective available pollinators for greenhouse crops. Managed non-Apis bees (Osmia, Nomia, Megachile) are effective pollinators of specific crops and can be used commercially in crop production. Other important pollinators include wasp, syrphid flies, butterfly and some beetles. The crop pollination by insects estimated approximate $361 billion of crop production worldwide. To ensure higher crop production, it is mandatory to conserve the native pollinators, and manage wild bees and other non-hymenopteran pollinators for wider ecosystem stability and food security. Potential of various groups of insects (the honey bees, stingless bees, bumble bees; solitary bees: blue-banded bees, leafcutter bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, alkali bees; syrphid flies, butterflies, wasps and beetles) for crop pollination is reviewed in this chapter.