EFFICACY OF BEE ATTRACTANTS FOR ATTRACTING INSECT POLLINATORS TO ONION BLOOM

摘要

The efficacy of different bee attractants for attracting insect pollinators to onion bloom was carried out on cultivar Palam Lohit in the experimental field of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP) during rabi 2012-13. The results revealed that one day before both sprays of bee attractants (first at 5% flowering and second after 10 days of first spray), the number of insect pollinators of each group (bees, syrphids and other pollinators)visiting the onion bloom did not differ significantly among the treatments. After both sprays, Bee Scent @ 7.5 per cent proved best in attracting higher number of insect pollinators of each group upto third day followed by Bee Scent @ 5 percent, Bee Scent @ 2.5 per cent followed by sugar solution @ 10 percent and honey solution @ 2 per cent. The least number of insect pollinators of each group were recorded in open pollination without spray (untreated control). Thus, it can be concluded that applicationof bee attractants has positive influence on increasing the visitation of insect pollinators to onion crop.