Indian Journal of Entomology

Honey bee Apis mellifera L. is one of the most important pollinating insect of litchi. Foraging behaviour of pollinators is greatly influenced by many environmental factors including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, rainfall etc. Variation in the foraging behaviour of A. mellifera in relation to environmental factors has been studied during March-April 2022 on nectar rich litchi flora. Temperature > 30°C had negative impact on bee activity with correlation coefficient of -0.71, -0.41 and -0.21 for outgoing, pollen collecting and nectar collecting bees, respectively. The temperature, > 15°C and upto 30°C, on other hand exhibited positive impact on outgoing bees (r = 0.66), nectar collecting bees (r = 0.76) and pollen collecting bees (r = 0.77). Distinct correlation had also been found between the foraging activity and relative humidity, rainfall and diurnal variation.