Alfalfa data

Floral foragers' pollination performance varies by taxon, and many crops rely on insect pollinators to produce fruit. Although honey bees are the primary pollinators for the majority of crops, wild pollinators can be more effective and efficient. In this study, the pollination efficiency of several bee species Apis mellifera, Megachile spp., and Bombus terrestris (queens and workers) was tested on alfalfa. The study was conducted in the Wilaya of Mila at Djebel Aougeb, Commune of Oued El Athmania (36°31’48.6’’N 6°39’49.1’’E) during the flowering seasons of 2021 and 2022. Experiments compared the pollination efficiency of the four groups based on pollen deposition per visit, foraging behavior, and foraging speed.
In terms of pollination efficiency, B. terrestris queens deposited the most pollen, visited more flowers per minute, and spent the least amount of time per visit. This was followed by Megachile spp., while A. mellifera deposited the least amount of pollen, visited fewer flowers per minute, and spent more time per flower. whereas B. terrestris workers primarily collected nectar, contributing less to effective pollination. A significant increase in alfalfa grain yield was observed when comparing insect-pollinated and unpollinated bunches.
The study findings reveal the economic value of wild bees, particularly the queens of B. terrestris and Megachile spp. (M. leachella and M. pilidens), in agroecosystems Insect pollination resulted in significantly higher fruit and seed production, with pollinated flowers producing up to 17 times more seeds in 2021 and 14 times more in 2022 than unpollinated flowers.. Thus, pollination in Algerian alfalfa fields could be optimized by timing the flowering period early to align with the emergence period of B. terrestris queens and avoid workers, as well as by providing nesting habitats for Megachile spp. in addition to utilizing A. mellifera for pollination.