A wasp (Synoeca sp., Vespidae) visiting a passion fruit flower in Colombia. (Image credit: Catalina Gutiérrez-Chacón, University of Freiburg, Germany)
Butterflies, wasps, beetles and flies might not be as effective pollinators as bees but new research shows their impact shouldn’t be discounted. Non-bee pollinators visit more flowers than bees so that even if they’re not such effective pollinators, their rates pollination are similar to bees.
The analysis of 39 field studies revealed there is greater fruit production when plants were visited by both bee and non-bee pollinators. This suggests non-bee pollinators could provide additional benefits.
The authors believe the contribution of non bees on pollination should be considered as they could provide some insurance against the decline of bee populations.
Original research paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science on November 30, 2015.
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