Non-Apis bee diversity in an experimental pollinator garden in Bengaluru – A Silicon Valley of India

Abstract

Pollinators are important providers of ecosystem services through plant and crop pollination. However, pollinator population/colony decline has raised concern for their conservation in farm lands as well as in urban areas. Given the need for conservation of these pollinators, we developed a pollinator garden at Yelahanka Campus of ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources in an area of one acre by planting over 50 plant species. Thirty-nine species of bees were documented from the flora of the pollinator garden. Out of the thirty-nine species of bees, nineteen species of bees belong to non-Apis families viz., Megachilidae and Halictidae. Apart from foraging on the flowers, the solitary bees like Megachile sp. were found nesting in the stems, fallen dried flowers in the pollinator garden. The bees were found year-round foraging upon the flora in the pollinator garden. Pollinator garden is a way to provide in-situ conservation of native bees while sustaining the valuable pollination service in various crop plants.