Floral preferences by Meliponas beecheii bees in different varieties of Cucurbita moschata. L

Abstract

The objective of the research was, through a completely randomized experimental design, to determine the variety of Cucurbita moschata L. preferred by bees during the pollination process. In November 2018, four varieties of pumpkins were planted. After the flowering started, sampling was started. Five morning samplings were carried out from January 31 to February 28, 2019. In each sampling, two observations were made separated in time. The open flowers in each variety and the number of bees present were recorded. Meliponas bees had a lower preference for the Fifi variety and a higher preference for the INIVIT C-2000 variety. There were no differences between observation times regarding the number of open flowers between varieties. During the entire investigation, bees were observed within the field. Melipon Bees were found mostly during the first observation. There was a correlation between the total number of bees observed per variety and the yields, demonstrating the importance of entomophilic pollination.