The South American Black Bumblebee (Bombus pauloensis) as a Potential Pollinator of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Abstract of the manuscript: We assessed if the commercially reared South American bumblebee Bombus pauloensis has potential as an alfalfa pollinator by monitoring their colony activity daily. We analyzed the pollen collected by using pollen traps specifically designed for B. pauloensis nests and counted the number of bumblebees in the crop. As results, colony activity was found to be highest during the mornings, 65% of the pollen trap samples analyzed contained alfalfa pollen grains, and 60% of the total pollen loads were identified as alfalfa pollen. Although the honey bee was the predominant pollinator observed in the crop, the high percentage of alfalfa pollen found in the pollen traps of B. pauloensis nests suggests that this species could be considered a potential managed pollinator for alfalfa crops.