Resumen

MANRIQUE, Antonio José  y  BLANCO, José Luis. Pollination of tomato, zucchini and cucumber, with stingless bees and Apis mellifera in greenhouses . Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.3, pp.243-254. ISSN 0798-7269.

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the pollination in tomato, (Lycopersicum L.), zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in closed greenhouses with stingless bees (Tetragonisca angustula), (Nannotrigona testaceicornis) and Plebeia sp. and the absconding behavior. The pollination behavior in open greenhouses with stingless and Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera), was evaluated in two greenhouses of 2.500m2, from March to August 2012, in Carabobo state, Venezuela. The results in closed greenhouses showed that Cucurbita pepo and Cucumis sativus were pollinated, while Lycopersicum esculentum was not pollinated by any stingless bees. All stingless bees showed adaptation in close greenhouses, being T. angustula the least absconding. In open greenhouses the L. escutentum L. was not pollinated, Apis were more effi cient than all stingless bees pollinating C. sativus and C. pepo. Determined, the stingless bees have a great potential as effi cient pollinators in close and open greenhouses, even in presence of A. mellifera.

Palabras clave : stingless bees; Apis mellifera; pollination; tomato; zucchini; cucumber.

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