Diurnal foraging activity of little bee (Apis Florea) in mustard

Inroduction

Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is one of the major oilseed crops cultivated in India and is an important source of edible oil. The crop is predominantly self-compatible; however, insect visitation can contribute to effective pollination and improve reproductive performance. The flowers of mustard produce nectar and pollen and attract a wide range of insect visitors, including honey bees, which are considered important pollinators of the crop. Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is one of the important cultivated species of the genus Brassica, occupying a major share of the cultivated area. Its seeds are nutritionally and economically important, containing about 28-32% oil and 28-36% protein (Chandrashekhar et al., 2013; Solvance & Pathak, 2016) [1,2] . As a predominantly cross-pollinated crop, mustard benefits considerably from insect pollination, with honey bees serving as important pollination service providers (Singh et al., 2005; Mohapatra et al., 2010) [4,3] . Therefore, understanding the abundance and foraging activity of honey bees on mustard is important for assessing their role in pollination and crop productivity. Das et al. (2018) [5] recorded A. florea among the honey-bee visitors of Brassica juncea flowers. Among honey bees, Apis florea is an important wild honey bee species that frequently visits flowering oilseed crops. Its small body size and active foraging behaviour enable it to visit a large number of flowers during the flowering period. Therefore, understanding the diurnal foraging behaviour of A. florea and methods for enhancing its visitation may contribute to improved pollination of mustard. Hence, the present study was undertaken to assess the effect of jaggery solution on the foraging activity of A. florea on mustard flowers and to study its temporal variation in comparison with an untreated plot.

Materials and Methods

The present investigation was conducted at the experimental Apiary and research farm of the College of Agriculture, Dharashiv, Maharashtra, India during the rabi season of 2025-2026. The experimental site is geographically located at latitude 18°16'58" N and longitude 76°04'24" E. The experiment was carried out under natural field conditions to study the foraging of A. florea. The experiment was conducted under natural field conditions with three replications. Each plot measured 4.0 × 3.0 m, with a spacing of 50 × 15 cm. Two treatments were studied viz. jaggery solution @ 10% and untreated plot. The jaggery solution was applied during the flowering period, and observations were recorded before and after application. Foraging activity of Apis florea was assessed by counting bees visiting a 1 m 2 area of mustard flowers for five minutes (bees/m 2 /5 min). Observations were taken at two-hour intervals from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM at 1 day before spraying (1 DBS) and at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after spraying (DAS). Similar observations were recorded at 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after the second spray (DA2S). Diurnal activity was assessed during six time intervals, from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Result and Discussion

Foraging activity of bees on mustard flower after application of jaggery solution

The foraging activity of A. florea on mustard flowers following the application of jaggery solution was recorded at different intervals after the first and second sprays, as presented in Table 1 andFig 1). The observations indicated considerable variation in the foraging population of A. florea across different days after application. At 1 day before spraying (1 DBS), the foraging activity of A. florea was relatively low, with a population of 3.94 bees/m 2 /5 min. Following the application of jaggery solution, the bee population increased markedly and reached 7.78 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 day after spraying (1 DAS). Thereafter, the population showed some fluctuation, recording 7.00 bees/m 2 /5 min at 3 DAS, 5.67 bees/m 2 /5 min at 5 DAS and 4.22 bees/m 2 /5 min at 7 DAS. After the second spray, the population was 5.11 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 DA2S, followed by 4.28, 3.39 and 1.61 bees/m 2 /5 min at 3, 5 and 7 DA2S, respectively. The highest mean population of A. florea was therefore recorded at 1 DAS (7.78 bees/m 2 /5 min), indicating a marked response of the bees during the initial period following application of jaggery solution. After the second spray, the population again showed a relatively higher value at 1 DA2S (5.11 bees/m 2 /5 min), followed by a gradual decline with increasing days after application. The lowest population was recorded at 7 DA2S (1.61 bees/m 2 /5 min). This indicates that the effect of jaggery solution on bee visitation was more pronounced during the initial days following application. A distinct diurnal pattern in foraging activity of A. florea was also observed. The maximum activity was recorded during 12:00-2:00 PM, with a mean population of 11.04 bees/m 2 /5 min, followed by 2:00-4:00 PM (8.63 bees/m 2 /5 min) and 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (6.48 bees/m 2 /5 min). The minimum activity was recorded during 8:00-10:00 AM (0.22 bees/m 2 /5 min), whereas no foraging activity was observed during 6:00-8:00 AM. Thus, A. florea showed maximum foraging activity during the afternoon period, particularly between 12:00 and 2:00 PM. The present study showed that application of jaggery solution increased the foraging activity of A. florea on mustard flowers, particularly during the initial period after spraying. The population increased from 3.94 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 DBS to 7.78 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 DAS, representing a clear increase following the first application. Although the population declined subsequently, a relatively higher population was again recorded at 1 DA2S (5.11 bees/m 2 /5 min) after the second application. The lowest population of 1.61 bees/m 2 /5 min was recorded at 7 DA2S. These observations indicate that the response to jaggery solution was strongest shortly after application and decreased with increasing days after spraying. The present findings are in similar with Manchare et al. (2019) [6] . A 10 per cent jaggery solution was sprayed on the crop as a bee attractant, which increased bee abundance. More et al. (2020) [7] and Dorjay et al. (2022) [8] , who reported increased honey bee foraging activity following application of bee attractants, particularly during the initial period after application. The present study also showed that jaggery solution enhanced bee visitation to mustard flowers during the early period. A clear diurnal variation was observed in Apis florea, with maximum foraging activity during 12:00-2:00 PM (11.04 bees/m 2 /5 min) and minimum activity during 8:00-10:00 AM (0.22 bees/m 2 /5 min), while no activity was recorded during 6:00-8:00 AM. Similar diurnal variation has been reported by Yadav et al. (2021) [9] and Manhare et al. (2017) [10] , who recorded higher bee activity during the late morning to afternoon period. These findings indicate that the foraging activity of A. florea on mustard was strongly influenced by the time of day.

Foraging activity of bees on mustard in untreated plot

The foraging activity of Apis florea on mustard flowers in the untreated plot was recorded at different intervals corresponding to the observations made after the first and second spray schedules, as presented in Table 2 (Fig 1). In the absence of attractant application, the population showed considerable variation among different observation days. At 1 day before spraying (1 DBS), the foraging activity of A. florea was recorded at 4.44 bees/m 2 /5 min. In the untreated plot, where no attractant was applied, the foraging activity varied naturally throughout the observation period. The highest overall mean activity was recorded at 1 DAS (5.83 bees/m 2 /5 min), followed by 3 DAS (4.83 bees/m 2 /5 min) and 5 DAS (4.67 bees/m 2 /5 min). The activity subsequently declined to 3.50 bees/m 2 /5 min at 7 DAS, 3.17 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 DA2S and 3 DA2S, 2.39 bees/m 2 /5 min at 5 DA2S, and reached the lowest value of 1.61 bees/m 2 /5 min at 7 DA2S. A clear diurnal variation was observed in the foraging activity of A. florea. The maximum activity was recorded during 12:00-2:00 PM (9.52 bees/m 2 /5 min), followed by 10:00-12:00 AM (6.37 bees/m 2 /5 min) and 2:00-4:00 PM (4.78 bees/m 2 /5 min). Comparatively lower activity was recorded during 4:00-6:00 PM (1.19 bees/m 2 /5 min) and 8:00-10:00 AM (0.56 bees/m 2 /5 min). No foraging activity was recorded during 6:00-8:00 AM. The maximum foraging activity of Apis florea during 12:00-2:00 PM, with no activity during 6:00-8:00 AM, indicated a distinct midday foraging pattern under untreated conditions. This finding similar with Prajula et al. (2024) [11] , who recorded peak activity of A. florea at 13:00 h on mustard, with 12.44 bees/10 plants/5 min and a maximum foraging rate of 14.49 flowers/5 min. Similarly, Nagpal et al. (2019) [12] and Roy et al. (2014) [13] reported greater insect visitor activity on mustard during the middle part of the day. Parida et al. (2023) [14] observed A. florea foraging from 08:00 to 17:00 h on rapeseed, while Tan et al. (2004) [15] reported variation in visitation time among sympatric honey bee species. These findings support the present observation of higher A. florea activity during the midday period. The study showed that application of jaggery solution increased the foraging activity of Apis florea on mustard flowers, especially during the early days after spraying. The bee population increased from 3.94 bees/m 2 /5 min before spraying to 7.78 bees/m 2 /5 min at 1 DAS, after which it gradually decreased with time. Foraging activity also varied with the time of day, with the highest activity recorded during 12:00-2:00 PM, while no activity was observed during 6:00-8:00 AM. The untreated plot recorded a lower overall bee population of 3.73 bees/m 2 /5 min. These findings suggest that jaggery solution can help increase A. florea visitation to mustard flowers, particularly shortly after application, with the highest natural foraging activity occurring around midday.

References

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16. How to cite this article: Sangle B, Sable A, Bhamare V, More D, Ugale P, Nalawade S, et al. Diurnal foraging activity of little bee (Apis Florea) in mustard. International Journal of Research in Agronomy. 2026;SP-9(10):191-195. doi: https://www.doi.org/1