Abundance and Foraging Dynamics of Pollinator Fauna on Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius Linnaeus)

Abstract

Species abundance and foraging dynamics of pollinators associated with safflower revealed that the crop was visited by a total of 18 insect species. Among these, seven species belonged to the order Hymenoptera, followed by five species of Diptera, four species of Lepidoptera and two species of Coleoptera. Hymenopteran pollinators were the most dominant group throughout the flowering period. Among the recorded pollinators, Apis florea emerged as the predominant species, representing 60.22 and 59.33 per cent of the total pollinator abundance during 2023 and 2024. Apis cerana indica (22.39 and 23.29 %) and Tetragonula iridipennis (11.65 and 10.37 %) were the next most abundant visitors, while the remaining pollinators together accounted for 5.72 and 7.00 per cent in the respective seasons. Peak foraging activity of five out of six bee species was recorded between 12:00 and 14:00 h, with A. florea, A. cerana, A. dorsata, Tetragonula iridipennis and Xylocopa spp. showing maximum visitation rates during both years.