Plants for Bees

The paper presents the results of research on cacti such as Gymnocalycium baldianum, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii, Notocactus eugeniae and Notocactus leninghausii, aimed at improving plant growth and defense against the pathogenic fungus Fusarium sp., through the use of Gigaspora margarita inoculated in the growing medium. Objectives of the work were: i) use Gigaspora margarita to assess if the use of arbuscular mycorrhizae can lead to an increase in the growth rate of Notocactus and Gymnocalycium, plants generally slow in their growth cycle; ii) to evaluate if the use of mycorrhizae can lead to an extension of the duration of the flower, to promote pollination of bees; iii) to assess if the use of Gigaspora Margarita allows greater protection of the roots against the fungus Fusarium sp. which often affects the roots of these cacti. The two experimental groups in cultivation were: i) group without arbuscular michorriza, irrigated with water and substrate previously fertilized; group with Gigaspora Margarita, irrigated with water and substrate previously fertilized. All plants treated with Gigaspora margarita showed a significant increase in plant height and circumference, vegetative and root weight of the plants, number of new suckers, number of flowers and fruits and flower life. In addition, there was significant control of the fungus Fusarium sp. in plants in which Gigaspora margarita was inoculated into the substrate, in fact a reduced infection of the roots due to this pathogen was found. The application of mycorrhiza in the cultivation of plants can guarantee the possibility to obtain a higher quality product, a higher resistance to biotic stress, an increase in growth rate, very interesting aspects in the succulent and cactus plants sector.

There are various plants with potential feeding importance to honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies as source of pollen, nectar or both. Selection of suitable regions for apiaries mainly depends on the availability of honey bee plants in the apiary
region. Identifying honey bee plants in specific region is very essential for honey and pollen production from honey bee
colonies. Lacking the information about the beneficial plants for honey bees including; plant name, flowering time and potential
benefit to honey bee colonies could be considered as a limitation for beekeeping development. So far honey bee plants are not well studied in Egypt. This review paper presents potential honey bee plants in Egypt using the available publications. The studies on honey bee plants in Egypt were also reviewed. This work can be considered as a guide for beekeepers and researchers. Moreover, the presented plants here can be used in comparing honey bee plants of Egypt with other countries to get a better understanding of honey bee flora. More detailed investigations on honey bee plants
are strongly required to be done at all Egyptian Governorates.

The 43rd International Apicultural
Congress Apimondia took place in the
Ukrainian capital, the city of Kiev on
September 29th – October 04th 2013, in
which we were participants and presented
our work. On November 04th – 9th 2014
we also participated in the 10th Apislavia
Congress which was arranged concurrently
with the 4th International Mugla Beekeeping
& Pine Honey Congress in Oludeniz,
Mugla Province, in Turkey.

1. Changes in agricultural practice across Europe and North America have been associated with range contractions and a decline in the abundance of wild bees. Concerns at these declines have led to the development of flower-rich agri-environment schemes as a way to enhance bee diversity and abundance. Whilst the effect of these schemes on bumblebee species (Bom-bus spp.) has been well studied, their impact on the wider bee community is poorly understood. 2. We used direct observations of foraging bees and pollen load analysis to quantify the relative contribution that sown flowers (i.e. those included in agri-environment scheme seed mixes) make to the pollen diets of wild solitary bees on Higher Level Stewardship farms (HLS) implementing pollinator-focused schemes and on Entry Level Stewardship farms (ELS) without such schemes in southern England, UK. 3. HLS management significantly increased floral abundance, and as the abundance of sown flowers increased, these sown plants were utilized for pollen by a greater proportion of the solitary bee species present. However, the overall proportion of pollen collected from sown plants was low for both direct observations (27Á0%) and pollen load analysis (23Á3%). 4. At most only 25 of the 72 observed species of solitary bee (34Á7%) were recorded utilizing sown plants to a meaningful degree. The majority of solitary bee species did not collect pollen from flower species sown for pollinators. 5. Total bee species richness was significantly associated with plant species richness, but there was no difference in the total species richness of either bee or flowering plant species between HLS and ELS farms. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results show that the majority of solitary bee species present on farmland in the southeast of England collect most of their pollen from plants that persist unaided in the wider environment, and not from those included in agri-environment schemes focused on pollinators. If diverse bee communities are to be maintained on farmland, existing schemes should contain an increased number of flowering plant species and additional schemes that increase the diversity of flowering plants in complementary habitats should be studied and trialled.

Beekeeping is a dynamic activity and is impacted by many factors. A comprehensive survey was done from September 2013 to April 2015 to understand the current status of beekeeping in the Arabian countries, and to identify the urgent needs for beekeeping development. Modern social communication means were utilized to perform the survey. Total of 138 respondents had participated in the study from 14 Arabian countries. Most of the respondents were with age from 31 to 45 years old (42.8% of the total). The most of them were also with high educational level with B.Sc. or higher degree (81.2% of the total), and 58.7% of them were with experience less than 10 years in beekeeping. The majority of the respondents preferred the indigenous bee races over the imported ones, and 51.4% of them were only honey producers. The incorrect management of bee colonies was considered by the majority of the respondents as the most important factor behind death of the bee colonies. It could be concluded that planned training programs on beekeeping are highly required. The role of the extension agencies is very essential to prepare suitable training programs for beekeepers. The use of the indigenous bee races in beekeeping should be supported. Effective laws and legislations to prevent honey adulteration and organize honey marketing issues are recommended to be done. Information about beekeeping in many Arabian countries are not available. Therefore, the results of this study can be considered as a baseline for any future investigations.

Resumen En el Caribe, una parte importante de los recursos florales aprovechados por las abejas proviene de la vegetación natural y sus remanentes. Dada la tendencia de que los paisajes bajo influencia agropecuaria se tornan más inhospitalarios para las abejas, es necesaria la alianza entre la apicultura y la conservación de la biodiversidad. De todos modos, hay que tomar en consideración algunos puntos donde los intereses entre apicultura y conservación son divergentes, como las especies introducidas de plantas con potencial melífero, y la posible competencia entre Apis mellifera y animales polinizadores nativos. Palabras claves: Especies introducidas de plantas, Polinizadores nativos, Vegetación de interés apícola. Abstract In the Caribbean, an important part of floral resources used by honeybees are provided by natural vegetation or its remnants. Given the tendency of landscapes shaped by modern agriculture and animal husbandry to provide less resources for bees, an alliance between beekeeping and conservation of biodiversity is a growing necessity. At any rate, some points have to be considered where interests of beekeeping and conservation are divergent, such as introduced melliferous plant species, and the possible competition between Apis mellifera and native pollinizating animals.

Rhizomes branched or unbranched, erect, ovoid; stolons slender. Leaves: petiole sparsely to densely pubescent. Leaf blade abaxially purplish, adaxially green, nearly orbicular, to ca. 3 × 3 dm, margins spinous-dentate; venation radiate and prominent centrally, without web-like pattern, principal veins ca. 15; surfaces abaxially sparsely to densely pubescent. Flowers emersed, 12-25 cm diam., opening nocturnally, many flowers not closing until late morning, only sepals and outermost petals in distinct whorls of 4; sepals abaxially uniformly green, prominently veined, lines of insertion on receptacle not prominent; petals 16-20, white; stamens ca. 75, yellow, outer with connective appendage projecting less than 2 mm beyond anther; filaments widest below middle, slightly shorter to longer than anthers; pistil ca. 20 (-30)-locular, appendages at margin of stigmatic disk linear, 6-12 mm. Seeds ellipsoid, 1.4-1.8 × 0.9-1.2 mm, ca. 1.5-1.6 times as long as broad, with longitudinal ridges bearing papillae 20-150 µm (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 1993+)

There are enormous challenges for managed honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies in the world. Climate change is expected to be the major threat for honey bees in the future. Climate change can impact honey bee colonies negatively and/or positively. Unfortunately, few studies have been done on impacts of climate change on beekeeping. In this research, the possible changes in temperature and some bioclimatic factors in Egypt during near future 2070 were investigated using available datasets. Geographical information system (GIS) was used to perform the study. Potential impacts of climate change on honey bee colonies were then expected using visual comparison technique. It is expected that thermal stress on honey bee colonies in Egypt will be the major problem for beekeepers
especially during summer. No major changes are expected to happen in the other bioclimatic factors
including precipitation. Beekeepers are advised to harvest honey from their colonies earlier than
current time. Some honey bee diseases and pests are not expected to be a great challenge in the
near future. For future challenges, studies towards obtaining heat tolerant bees are very essential.
Developing suitable methods for protecting honey bee colonies from thermal stress during summer
are required.

Se ofrece un panorama de la diversidad, la historia natural y la conservación de las abejas de Costa Rica, las cuales se destacan por mantener una relación simbiótica con las flores y por preservar el planeta.

AUTORES: Jorge Arturo Lobo Segura, Gordon W. Frankie, Ingrid Aguilar Monge, Eduardo Herrera González, Mariana Acuña Cordero, Mauricio Fernández Otárola, Paul E. Hanson Snortum , Rollin Coville

Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitaceae) was an integral component of the diet of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures and is an important cash crop with high cultural value in contemporaneous indigenous populations of Guatemala. Despite the increasing attention to native bees as pollinators of cucurbit crops, little is known about the diversity of bees that visit or pollinate these crops in many regions. Based on collections from 11 observational plots of C. pepo established in fi ve localities and maintained by the local community across the Cloud Forest Corridor in Guatemala, we documented 27 bee species belonging to 14 genera in Apidae and Halictidae as fl oral visitors. Species composition was signifi cantly different among plots and among localities; however, honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758) (Apidae: Apini) and the stingless bee Partamona bilineata (Say, 1837) (Apidae: Meliponini) were the most abundant fl ower visitors in all plots and localities, accounting up to 80% of the total number of visits. Two species of squash bees were recorded, Peponapis apiculata (Cresson, 1878) and P. limitaris (Cockerell, 1906) (Apidae: Eucerini), but they were rare (3.4% of total number of specimens) across all plots and localities. Based on pollinator exclusion experiments as well as comparisons of fruit weight and seed number and weight, we confi rmed the dependence of this crop on insect pollination and the role of honey bees and P. bilineata as main pollinators in the observational plots. Surveys of bees in the surrounding vegetation of the plots indicated a higher diversity (36 species of 28 genera) than in the plots; about 40% of these species are also common visitors of fl owers of C. pepo.

Keeping honey bee colonies in isolated areas can cause inbreeding. The inbreeding over a long period is good for the purity of bee subspecies but also has some negative effects including the low performance of colonies. This study was performed on hybrid honey bee colonies placed in an isolated location for about five years to check the effects of inbreeding on them. The bees were able to mate with each other during this period of time without introducing new bee queens or bee packages. Some morphological characteristics and parameters were studied to test the purity of the bees and the presence of any negative effects due to inbreeding. The results showed the presence of variations between studied colonies without any negative effects on bee morphology, hygienic behavior, bee larvae development, brood rearing activity, and food storing activity. The study highlighted the absence of deleterious effects on honey bees due to inbreeding under isolation conditions.

Little is known about the wax cell caps
of the Western honey bees, Apis mellifera. I examined the structure of worker, drone, and honey cell caps, as
well as the behavior of honey bee workers when presented with removed cell caps. Three components were detected in worker and drone cell caps: (1) cocoon threads, (2) pollen grains, and (3) beeswax. Beeswax
represents the main component while pollen grains are distributed within the beeswax. The caps are lined with the silk threads from the cocoon a larvae spins to pupate. In contrast, the structure of honey cell caps lacks the silk cocoon and consists mainly of beeswax, with very few pollen grains detected. Honey bees have no
preference to use specific pollen grains during cell capping but all the pollen available to the colony may be
incorporated. My observations showed that honey bee workers tend to masticate the removed cell caps and
cut them into small pieces.

In the Central Cordillera of the Dominican Republic, in the opinion of local dwellers natural fertility is higher in stonier soils than in soils without stones or with few stones. This was confirmed by analysis of data from 20 soils on slopes and ridges, without riparian influence. In these soils, pH and Ca content were correlated positively and Al saturation was correlated negatively with content of coarse material. This was not the case for 16 soils at riparian environments. With respect to land use, there is a dilemma due to the fact that soils with higher natural fertility tend to be situated at sites that are exposed to erosion risks.

The impact of bees (Apis mellifera L.) as pollinators in the yield of
the zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) crop in the Riobamba canton, Chimborazo province, was evaluated using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). This was done using three treatments and three repetitions. The treatments evaluated were: the zucchini cultivation inside the micro tunnel covered with entomological mesh with the presence of bees, the zucchini cultivation inside the micro tunnel covered with anti aphids mesh without the presence of bees, and the open field zucchini cultivation. The evaluated parameters were number of days to the appearance of the fruits, percentage of fertilized and unfertilized flowers, number of fruits per plant, size of fruits, diameter of fruits, weight of fruit, and yield in kg / ha per treatment. The best results achieved in most parameters that were evaluated such as the percentage of flowering, number of fruits per plant, size of fruit in cm, diameter of fruit in cm, weight of the fruit in grams, yield in kg/ha by treatment, and economic analysis were obtained with the presence of bees (Apis mellifera L.) as pollinating agents in the tunnel. This is in addition to meshes during the flowering stage of the zucchini crop, with an average yield of 14.9 tn/ha.

A preliminary checklist of the herpetofauna of Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) Governorates is presented based on records of amphibian and reptile species whose presence has been confirmed in Palestine's governorates as a result of extensive field expeditions, examination of fixed herpetological collections, literature review, and personal communications from researchers. The paper reports 95 original data on the Palestinian herpetofauna (4 Amphibians and 54 reptiles), deriving from field observations. The herpetofauna of Palestine consists of 58 species belonging to forty six genera and twenty families. Species found in this study either globally or regionally distributed. Majority of species (44 species) fall in the least concern category of the IUCN Red List Category. One species found to be categorized as critically endangered, and another species found to be categorized as endangered. Two Species found to be categorized as threatened, and three Species as vulnerable accordingly.

This research was carried out in Ituverava SP Brazil, to evaluate frequency, nectar or pollen hoarding by insects, opening and closing time of flowers in okra crop, Abelmoschus esculentus (Malvaceae) var. Chifre-de-veado, and the effect of their visits in fruit production. Flowers were visited by insects between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The flowers were marked and fruit set was evaluated: 10 flowers were protected with a bag and compared to same quantity of unprotected flowers. Okra flowers began opening by 9:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. and closing by 2:45 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. of the same day, when they started to shrivel. The insects observed in nectar hoarding were Hymenoptera (Melipona sp.) and Lepidoptera. In pollen hoarding, insects most frequently were Thysanoptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera (Melipona sp. and Apis mellifera). The crop showed 100% auto fertilization and did not require pollinators to produce fruits. However, in flowers visited by insects fruits were heavier, longer and wider.

Autumn is a critical period for honey bee colonies and the weak
colonies during autumn are likely to be lost during winter. The colonies need good pollen sources during this period to be able
to foster enough brood, to boost colonies survival ability during winter. The situation is worse in desert areas where few pollen
sources are expected to be existed. Identifying the availability of pollen sources for honey bees at desert areas is very essential to present appropriate recommendations regarding colonies
feeding and suitable plants to be cultivated in such areas. Thus, the study objective is to identify pollen sources for honey bee
colonies during the autumn at El-Bostan region (a region with desert nature). Samples of bee bread were collected at different times during autumn. The samples were microscopically analyzed and pollen sources were then identified. Nine plants
belong to six plant families (Pedaliaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae, Asteraceae, Myrtaceae, Resedaceae, and Casuarinaceae)
were classified as major pollen sources. The most abundant plants were casuarina and eucalyptus during autumn. Beekeepers are advised to supply their colonies regularly
(each two weeks) with pollen substitutes or supplements during autumn at El-Bostan region. Honey bee workers tend to mix
different pollen types together in bee bread when different pollen sources are available. The number of pollen sources in the bee bread can be used to assess the richness degree of any region with suitable pollen sources to honey bees. The identified pollen sources in this study are recommended to be
cultivated in lands with similar desert nature, to provide honey bee colonies with protein feeding during this critical period of
the year.

In this study the possibility of using liquid Inula viscosa (Dittrichia viscosa L.) to improve the growth and quality of Oscularia deltoides and Corpuscolaria lehmanii plants and protection against Aphis nerii was evaluated. The 3 experimental groups in cultivation were: i) group without the use of Inula viscosa liquid macerate (CTRL), irrigated with water and previously fertilised substrate; ii) group treated with 1% of Inula viscosa liquid obtained from flowers (leaf spraying and soil irrigation), previously fertilized substrate (INU1); iii) group treated with 1% of Inula viscosa liquid obtained from leaves and stems (leaf spraying and soil irrigation), previously fertilized substrate (INU2). The test showed a significant increase in the agronomic parameters analyzed in plants treated with liquid Inula viscosa. In fact, all plants treated with Inula showed a significant increase in plant height, leaves number, vegetative and roots weight, branches and flowers number and flowering time in both Corpuscolaria lehmanii and Oscularia deltoides. An evaluation was also made of the number of individuals of Aphis nerii present on the plants of Corpuscolaria lehmanii and Oscularia deltoides to assess whether the macerate of Inula can be used for the control of these insects. The GC-MS analysis of active fractions strongly suggested costic acid as the compound responsible for contact toxicity against Aphis nerii. Probably in the plant treated with Inula viscosa there is an induction of the defense mechanisms that lead to greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The application of Inula macerate also improves the plant's defences against attacks by fungal pathogens and insects. Very interesting aspects, especially in view of a possible reduction of fertilizers and synthetic plant protection products.

Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (Arugula) and Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) was carried out during spring season from February to April consecutively during all the three years of 2016–18. Insect pollinators observed belonged to four orders i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. A total of 20 major species of insect pollinators were recorded. The highest abundance of pollinator species belonged to Hymenoptera. The most prominent insect pollinator species were Apis mellifera followed by other three honey bee species of A. cerana, A. flo-rea, and A. dorsata respectively. Some species of solitary bees were also recorded. From Diptera, four species of syrphid fly and one species from Muscidae family were also recorded. Insect pollinators recorded from order Lepidoptera were Pieris brassicae, Vanessa cardui, and Papilio demoleus. Lady bird beetle Coccinella septempunctata was recorded from Coleoptera order...

A preliminary checklist of the herpetofauna of Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) Governorates is presented based on records of amphibian and reptile species whose presence has been confirmed in Palestine's governorates as a result of extensive field expeditions, examination of fixed herpetological collections, literature review, and personal communications from researchers. The paper reports 95 original data on the Palestinian herpetofauna (4 Amphibians and 54 reptiles), deriving from field observations. The herpetofauna of Palestine consists of 58 species belonging to forty six genera and twenty families. Species found in this study either globally or regionally distributed. Majority of species (44 species) fall in the least concern category of the IUCN Red List Category. One species found to be categorized as critically endangered, and another species found to be categorized as endangered. Two Species found to be categorized as threatened, and three Species as vulnerable ac...

O estudo palinológico de Mimosa L. teve por finalidade caracterizar as espécies do gênero ocorrentes na vegetação de caatinga do Nordeste brasileiro. Foram examinadas 39 espécies que tiveram seus grãos de pólen acetolisados, medidos, descritos e ilustrados sob microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados permitiram reconhecer seis tipos polínicos e dois subtipos com base na unidade de dispersão. Foi registrada a ocorrência de díades (M. adenophylla Taub., M. ursina Mart.) e mônades (M. ursina Mart.). A morfologia polínica das espécies (Mimosa lepidophora Rizzini e Mimosa pithecolobioides Benth.) Mimosa-Mimadenia mostrou similaridade com grupo Piptadenia enquanto a diversidade polínica observada em Mimosa-Batocaulon indicou o polimorfismo do grupo.

RESUMO -(Palinologia de espécies de Mimosa L. (Leguminosae -Mimosoideae) do Semi-Árido brasileiro). O estudo palinológico de Mimosa L. teve por finalidade caracterizar as espécies do gênero ocorrentes na vegetação de caatinga do Nordeste brasileiro. Foram examinadas 39 espécies que tiveram seus grãos de pólen acetolisados, medidos, descritos e ilustrados sob microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados permitiram reconhecer seis tipos polínicos e dois subtipos com base na unidade de dispersão. Foi registrada a ocorrência de díades (M. adenophylla Taub., M. ursina Mart.) e mônades (M. ursina Mart.). A morfologia polínica das espécies (Mimosa lepidophora Rizzini e Mimosa pithecolobioides Benth.) Mimosa-Mimadenia mostrou similaridade com grupo Piptadenia enquanto a diversidade polínica observada em Mimosa-Batocaulon indicou o polimorfismo do grupo. Palavras-chave: morfologia polínica, Mimosa, díades, Leguminosae ABSTRACT -(Pollen morphology of Mimosa L. species (Leguminosae -Mimosoideae) from the semi-arid region of Brazil). Pollen studies of Mimosa L. sought to characterize the species of this genus occurring within the caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil. A total of 39 species were examined. The pollen grains were acetolyzed, measured, described, and illustrated using optical light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated the existence of six basic pollen types and two sub-types, based on dispersal units. The occurrence of dyads (Mimosa adenophylla Taub., Mimosa ursina Mart.) and monads (Mimosa ursina Mart.) was recorded.

O estudo palinológico de Mimosa L. teve por finalidade caracterizar as espécies do gênero ocorrentes na vegetação de caatinga do Nordeste brasileiro. Foram examinadas 39 espécies que tiveram seus grãos de pólen acetolisados, medidos, descritos e ilustrados sob microscopia óptica e eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados permitiram reconhecer seis tipos polínicos e dois subtipos com base na unidade de dispersão. Foi registrada a ocorrência de díades (M. adenophylla Taub., M. ursina Mart.) e mônades (M. ursina Mart.). A morfologia polínica das espécies (Mimosa lepidophora Rizzini e Mimosa pithecolobioides Benth.) Mimosa-Mimadenia mostrou similaridade com grupo Piptadenia enquanto a diversidade polínica observada em Mimosa-Batocaulon indicou o polimorfismo do grupo.

Keeping honey bee colonies in isolated areas can cause inbreeding. The inbreeding over a long period is good for the purity of bee subspecies but also has some negative effects including the low performance of colonies. This study was performed on hybrid honey bee colonies placed in an isolated location for about five years to check the effects of inbreeding on them. The bees were able to mate with each other during this period of time without introducing new bee queens or bee packages. Some morphological characteristics and parameters were studied to test the purity of the bees and the presence of any negative effects due to inbreeding. The results showed the presence of variations between studied colonies without any negative effects on bee morphology, hygienic behavior, bee larvae development, brood rearing activity, and food storing activity. The study highlighted the absence of deleterious effects on honey bees due to inbreeding under isolation conditions.

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Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (Arugula) and Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) was carried out during spring season from February to April consecutively during all the three years of 2016-18. Insect pollinators observed belonged to four orders i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. A total of 20 major species of insect pollinators were recorded. The highest abundance of pollinator species belonged to Hymenoptera. The most prominent insect pollinator species were Apis mellifera followed by other three honey bee species of A. cerana, A. flo-rea, and A. dorsata respectively. Some species of solitary bees were also recorded. From Diptera, four species of syrphid fly and one species from Muscidae family were also recorded. Insect pollinators recorded from order Lepidoptera were Pieris brassicae, Vanessa cardui, and Papilio demoleus. Lady bird beetle Coccinella septempunctata was recorded from Coleoptera order...

Studies on the insect pollinators diversity and their relative abundance in Eruca sativa Mill. (Arugula) and Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) was carried out during spring season from February to April consecutively during all the three years of 2016-18. Insect pollinators observed belonged to four orders i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. A total of 20 major species of insect pollinators were recorded. The highest abundance of pollinator species belonged to Hymenoptera. The most prominent insect pollinator species were Apis mellifera followed by other three honey bee species of A. cerana, A. flo-rea, and A. dorsata respectively. Some species of solitary bees were also recorded. From Diptera, four species of syrphid fly and one species from Muscidae family were also recorded. Insect pollinators recorded from order Lepidoptera were Pieris brassicae, Vanessa cardui, and Papilio demoleus. Lady bird beetle Coccinella septempunctata was recorded from Coleoptera order as occasional visitor. It was noticed that E. sativa attracted more insect pollinators than B. rapa which may be attributed to different amount and chemical properties of nectar, with number of pollen grains, and flower canopy of both crops. Further studies are needed to confirm the reasons for higher pollinator visitation to E. sativa than B. rapa through chemical analysis of nectar, amount of pollens, flower physiology and phenology of both crops. Ó 2018 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).