FLORAL CALENDAR OF APIS FLOREA F. IN ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

摘要

Floral calender for Apis florea in the State of Andhra Pradesh has been prepared based on field studies. A total of 165 plant species has been identified as forage sources of A. florea. But, these are not the only species utilized by the bee for foodsince the plants identified are based on only field trips conducted during the work period. The plants recorded are mostly tree species followed by shrubs, herbs and creepers. These belong to 53 families but the plants belonging to certain families suchas Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Mimosaceae, Rubiaceae and Verbenaceae are important and common in all sampled localities.The floral calendar of the study region shows that honeybee flora occurs throughout the year. In each month, 77 to 92 forage plants flower depending on their occurrence. The tree species serve as important forage sources throughout the year due to theirperennial nature and abundant flower production. They play a crucial role in providing forage and in maintaining honey bees during March-June when most the herbaceous shrubs and herbs disappear due to dry conditions. The floral calendars are of special value for the development of beekeeping, especially during the dearth period of floral resources. They are useful in selecting the most suitable place, where bees should be moved during dearth period. Further, the floral calendars are important for beekeepers to plan for the management schedules of honeybees and also for farmers to keep bees for adequate pollination which results in good crop yields. In the study region, the forage sources of A. florea consist of economically important trees and this beespecies while collecting floral rewards on such floral sources effect pollination and contribute to increased reproductive output. The floral calendar prepared for A. florea in Andhra Pradesh is to be taken as preliminary and it should be used as basisfor extensive field studies for the finalization of this calendar. Further, in certain localities, the colonies of A. florea are scarce and in a few locations there are one or two colonies. Such a state of A. florea occurrenceis an indication of dearth of floral resources mainly as a consequence of fragmenting habitats of forests and natural areas. Area-specific corrective and restorative measures are urgently required to provide sufficient floral resources based on floral calendars for A. florea colonies. For this, immediate studies are required for documenting the floral resources utilized by A. florea in each region in order to prepare floral calendars for this species for the conservation and management of its floral resources.