Honeybee pollination of macadamia floral rewards and their effect on pollen flow
Author(s)
V. Vithanage And T. J. Douglas
Abstract
Pollination of the macadamia cultivar Keauhou (Macadamia sp.) was investigated in relation to the availability of its floral rewards, nectar and pollen, to honeybees. The nectar showed a mean daily ratio of reducing sugar to sucrose of 0.7 and this ratio exhibited a definite diurnal variation which was associated with bee visits to the area, particularly during the morning (linear correlation coefficient r = 0.95). Pollen flow brought about by bees, to the stigma surface, was positively correlated with availability of pollen (Y = 11.1 + 0.02X; r = 0.85). Pollen flow was also related to the amount of pollen that bees carry and the frequency of their visits (quantity carried/hour). Transfer of pollen was at its peak in the morning; at which time, application of insecticidal sprays should be avoided.
