Onion (Allium cepa L.) seed production has long been plagued with yield problems because of lack of pollination by the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. To attempt to attract more pollinators to the onion seed production field, honey bees were conditioned to associate onion floral odor components with a reward. Isolated nucleus hives of honey bees were fed 30% sucrose solutions scented with a 0.2% solution of onion floral odor compounds. After feeding on these solutions for 6 wk, bees were not found to prefer onion flowers to two competing food sources, carrot and alfalfa flowers, at the 5% significance level. However, there was an overall trend indicating a change in honey bee behavior, with fewer “trained” bees visiting alfalfa and carrot and more visiting onion. Thus, it may be possible to alter honey bee behavior with preconditioning but probably not to a degree that would be economically significant.
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1 October 2003
Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Foraging in Response to Preconditioning with Onion Flower Scent Compounds
Erin M. Silva,
Bill B. Dean,
Larry K. Hiller
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Journal of Economic Entomology
Vol. 96 • No. 5
October 2003
Vol. 96 • No. 5
October 2003
Allium cepa
honey bee behavior
honey bees
onion
pollination