Identification and Distribution of Cross-Pollinating Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Apple Orchards

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Abstract
The size of the cross-pollinating population, the pattern of pollen transfer, fruit set, and the number of seeds per fruit (as a function of distance from the pollinizer) were recorded in ‘Delicious’ apple orchards. In addition, pollen adhering to honey bee foragers and apple blossom stigmata was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Neither fruit set nor seeds per fruit decreased significantly with increasing distance from the pollinizer. SEM revealed that compatible pollen (i.e., pollen from unrelated apple varieties) was being carried by every apple forager. Stigmata from both cultivars also contained a wide range of pollens. Tree-to-tree movement cannot account for these results, which suggests that pollen transfer in apple orchards results from other circumstances. The possibility that pollen transfer in the hive contributes to the cross-pollinating population is discussed.

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