Studies on Japanese honeybees as the pollinator for rabbiteye blueberries Vaccinium ashei

摘要

The efficiency of Japanese honeybees as the pollinator of rabbiteye blueberry, Vaccinium ashei was investigated. In an experimental orchard, 3 plants of each 2 rabbiteye blueberry varieties (Woodard and Tifblue) were provided for each of pollinatorspecies, European honeybees, Apis mellifera (AM) and Japanese honeybees Apis cerana japonica (ACJ). We compared the activities of both species and the fruit produced as the result of pollination by them. ACJ was able to work under cooler condition thanAM, even in the dusk after sunset. The fruit set ratio of flowers which ACJ pollinated was high enough and reached at the similar level of those by artificial pollination. There were no apparent differences in the quality of the fruits according to the2 pollinators. Only the weight of the fruits pollinated by ACJ was less than those by AM. Therefore, further investigations are necessary to evaluate the usability of ACJ on rabbiteye blueberry pollination, especially in the quantitative characters of the fruits. Yet ACJ has the significant potential as the pollinator of rabbiteye blueberries, to develop the appropriate management of the bee colonies are required for practical use of the bees in the fruit pollination.