DYNAMICS OF DOMINANT BEES - POLLINATORS AND INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE, RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND TIME OF DAY ON THEIR ABUNDANCE IN FORAGE CROPS IN PLEVEN REGION, BULGARIA | Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology
Knowledge of bee preferences for different flowering forage crops (birdsfoot trefoil, alfalfa, sainfoin, and a mixture of phacelia, alfalfa, sainfoin, red clover, and cocksfoot) as well as the influence of temperature, relative humidity, and time of day on their abundance in forage crops in the Pleven region of Bulgaria has important environmental implications and allows for the prediction of effects of abiotic factors on poll By "sweeping" with an entomological net from the start of flowering to the end of flowering, the pollinator density and species composition were recorded. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 14:00 p.m., the number of bees that visited the blooms of fodder crops was counted by visual observation. Halictid bees, Halictus quadricinctus Fabricius, 1776 (Hymenoptera, Apidae), square-headed furrow-bee, Halictus maculatus Smith, 1848 (Hymenoptera, Halictidae), long-horned bee, Eucera longicornis Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera, Apidae), thick-margine (Hymenoptera, Apidae). The number of species reached a peak at full flowering, however as flowering progressed, the number of species decreased dramatically. In comparison to 12:00 - 14:00 PM, the observation hour of 08:30 - 09:30 AM had a larger abundance of bees. Temperature and relative humidity both had a significant impact on bee density, with temperatures having a negative impact and relative humidity having a beneficial impact. Agriculture activities such as pest control operations must be harmonised with pollination and bee activity in order to save bees and other insect pollinators. Such operations should be carried out when the activity of bees is significantly reduced. Please see the link :- https://www.ikprress.org/index.php/JOGAE/article/view/2012