Seasonal Diversity of Insect Pollinators on Cucurbit Vegetables
D. V. Chaudhary *
Department of Entomology, Chimanbhi Patel College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar-385506, Gujarat, India.
Sushma Deb
Department of Entomology, Chimanbhi Patel College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar-385506, Gujarat, India.
P. K. Thakar
Department of Entomology, Chimanbhi Patel College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar-385506, Gujarat, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Total 24 and 23 insect pollinators were observed on cucurbit vegetables from initiation of flowering to cessation of flowering during different hours of the day in kharif 2022 and kharif 2023, respectively. The insect pollinators represented from four orders viz., Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera and Diptera with the families viz., Apidae, Scoliidae, Megachilidae, Vespidae, Muscidae, Syrphidae, Tettigoniidae, Pieridae, Nymphidae, Crambidae, Papilionidae, Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae and Sphingidae. Apis dorsata was the prominent insect pollinator throughout the both seasons on cucurbit vegetables.
Keywords: Pollinator diversity, seasonal variation, cucurbit vegetables, lepidoptera, hymenoptera