Pollination of Cantaloupes Under Spun bonded Row Cover by Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in West Africa

Abstract

We evaluated 2 pollination treatments which did not require removal of the cover on cantaloupes under small tunnels of Agryl in West Africa. The cover was removed from control plots at the onset of pistillate flowering but was maintained over treated plants for an additional 20 d. In the 1st treatment, one end of the tunnel was cut open to allow some access to pollinators. In the 2nd treatment, the tunnel was kept closed but was provided with a multiple-entrance hive. The cover did not affect production or concentration of nectar. Honey bees, Apis mellifera adansonii Latreille, flew under the cover in both treatments, with an average of 54% as many bees foraging under the tunnels opened at one end as in the control. However, muscid flies, which were the most abundant flower visitors in the open, hardly foraged under the cover. Pollination intensity and amount of cantaloupe pollen on the body of honey bee foragers in the 2 covered treatments were similar but were significantly greater than in the open. Total yield, fruit size, and seed content confirmed that pollination was at least as good in the covered plots as in the control. Covered plants produced more commercial-grade fruit than control plants, which received 6 insecticide applications, demonstrating the usefulness of these pollination treatments in combination with the row cover for integrated pest management.