How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop

Autores
Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F.; Chacoff, Natacha Paola; Cavigliasso, Pablo; Blendinger, Pedro Gerardo
Año de publicación
2024
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Animal pollination is essential to guarantee the economic viability of pollination-dependent crops, and honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) play a central role as the most used species worldwide for pollination service management. Despite its importance, recommendations on honeybee hive stocking density are based on rules of thumb that assume hives as standardized units and do not consider the contingencies of the crop's pollen deposition demand. We developed a mechanistic simulation model to assess the consequences of variant hive quality and stocking density scenarios for blueberry productivity per hectare. To do so, we used Bayesian models, field experiments and secondary information to parametrize the simulation and estimate flower visitation rate, pollen deposition, and fruit production at the crop level. We found that maximizing pollen deposition at the crop level can be achieved with seven high quality-hives ha−1 (20000 bees colony−1), whereas reaching similar levels of pollination with conventional hives (10000 bees colony−1) would require 20 hives ha−1. Also, optimal hive stocking densities to maximize blueberry yield ha−1 needs four high quality-hives ha−1, whilst similar levels of productivity could be reached with 20 conventional colonies ha−1. From an economic and productive perspective, a lower unit rental price for conventional hives compensates for the use of less, but more expensive, high quality hives. Therefore, deciding using either low or high-quality hives should be based on, for instance, the logistic implications of using ∼2.5 more hives ha−1 and the consequences of using colonies with a poorer sanitation state for pollination service stability. Our work set the basis for a more biological and evidence-based protocol for honeybee hive management in blueberry crops. Indeed, integrating honeybee and blueberry pollination ecology, we provide a pragmatic approach to maximize crop productivity based on the minimum beehive stocking densities that optimize pollen deposition and crop yield ha−1 depending on hive's quality. Knowing such a minimum allows for reduced operation costs for farmers, lower uncertainty of pollinators contribution to crop productivity and the risk of undesirable pollination scenarios, and helps to limit the potential negative impacts of saturating ecosystems with honeybees.
EEA Marcos Juárez
Fil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Argentina
Fil: Cavigliasso, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Marcos Juárez; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Argentina
Fuente
Ecological Modelling 498 : 110891. (December 2024)
Materia
Colmena
Apicultura
Cultivos
Polinización
Apis mellifera
Hives
Apiculture
Crops
Pollination
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso restringido
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/19893
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oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/19893
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network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent cropRamírez Mejía, Andrés F.Chacoff, Natacha PaolaCavigliasso, PabloBlendinger, Pedro GerardoColmenaApiculturaCultivosPolinizaciónApis melliferaHivesApicultureCropsPollinationAnimal pollination is essential to guarantee the economic viability of pollination-dependent crops, and honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) play a central role as the most used species worldwide for pollination service management. Despite its importance, recommendations on honeybee hive stocking density are based on rules of thumb that assume hives as standardized units and do not consider the contingencies of the crop's pollen deposition demand. We developed a mechanistic simulation model to assess the consequences of variant hive quality and stocking density scenarios for blueberry productivity per hectare. To do so, we used Bayesian models, field experiments and secondary information to parametrize the simulation and estimate flower visitation rate, pollen deposition, and fruit production at the crop level. We found that maximizing pollen deposition at the crop level can be achieved with seven high quality-hives ha−1 (20000 bees colony−1), whereas reaching similar levels of pollination with conventional hives (10000 bees colony−1) would require 20 hives ha−1. Also, optimal hive stocking densities to maximize blueberry yield ha−1 needs four high quality-hives ha−1, whilst similar levels of productivity could be reached with 20 conventional colonies ha−1. From an economic and productive perspective, a lower unit rental price for conventional hives compensates for the use of less, but more expensive, high quality hives. Therefore, deciding using either low or high-quality hives should be based on, for instance, the logistic implications of using ∼2.5 more hives ha−1 and the consequences of using colonies with a poorer sanitation state for pollination service stability. Our work set the basis for a more biological and evidence-based protocol for honeybee hive management in blueberry crops. Indeed, integrating honeybee and blueberry pollination ecology, we provide a pragmatic approach to maximize crop productivity based on the minimum beehive stocking densities that optimize pollen deposition and crop yield ha−1 depending on hive's quality. Knowing such a minimum allows for reduced operation costs for farmers, lower uncertainty of pollinators contribution to crop productivity and the risk of undesirable pollination scenarios, and helps to limit the potential negative impacts of saturating ecosystems with honeybees.EEA Marcos JuárezFil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Chacoff, Natacha. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, ArgentinaFil: Cavigliasso, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Marcos Juárez; ArgentinaFil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; ArgentinaFil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, ArgentinaElsevier2024-10-25T11:31:29Z2024-10-25T11:31:29Z2024-12info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/19893https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03043800240027950304-38001872-7026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110891Ecological Modelling 498 : 110891. (December 2024)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PE-E1-I017-001, Desarrollo del sector apícola organizado, sustentable y competitivoinfo:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PE-L01-I069, Aportes al desarrollo sostenible de la apicultura argentinainfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2025-10-16T09:31:58Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/19893instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2025-10-16 09:31:58.561INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
title How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
spellingShingle How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F.
Colmena
Apicultura
Cultivos
Polinización
Apis mellifera
Hives
Apiculture
Crops
Pollination
title_short How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
title_full How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
title_fullStr How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
title_full_unstemmed How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
title_sort How much is enough? Optimizing beehive stocking densities to maximize the production of a pollinator-dependent crop
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F.
Chacoff, Natacha Paola
Cavigliasso, Pablo
Blendinger, Pedro Gerardo
author Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F.
author_facet Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F.
Chacoff, Natacha Paola
Cavigliasso, Pablo
Blendinger, Pedro Gerardo
author_role author
author2 Chacoff, Natacha Paola
Cavigliasso, Pablo
Blendinger, Pedro Gerardo
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Colmena
Apicultura
Cultivos
Polinización
Apis mellifera
Hives
Apiculture
Crops
Pollination
topic Colmena
Apicultura
Cultivos
Polinización
Apis mellifera
Hives
Apiculture
Crops
Pollination
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Animal pollination is essential to guarantee the economic viability of pollination-dependent crops, and honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) play a central role as the most used species worldwide for pollination service management. Despite its importance, recommendations on honeybee hive stocking density are based on rules of thumb that assume hives as standardized units and do not consider the contingencies of the crop's pollen deposition demand. We developed a mechanistic simulation model to assess the consequences of variant hive quality and stocking density scenarios for blueberry productivity per hectare. To do so, we used Bayesian models, field experiments and secondary information to parametrize the simulation and estimate flower visitation rate, pollen deposition, and fruit production at the crop level. We found that maximizing pollen deposition at the crop level can be achieved with seven high quality-hives ha−1 (20000 bees colony−1), whereas reaching similar levels of pollination with conventional hives (10000 bees colony−1) would require 20 hives ha−1. Also, optimal hive stocking densities to maximize blueberry yield ha−1 needs four high quality-hives ha−1, whilst similar levels of productivity could be reached with 20 conventional colonies ha−1. From an economic and productive perspective, a lower unit rental price for conventional hives compensates for the use of less, but more expensive, high quality hives. Therefore, deciding using either low or high-quality hives should be based on, for instance, the logistic implications of using ∼2.5 more hives ha−1 and the consequences of using colonies with a poorer sanitation state for pollination service stability. Our work set the basis for a more biological and evidence-based protocol for honeybee hive management in blueberry crops. Indeed, integrating honeybee and blueberry pollination ecology, we provide a pragmatic approach to maximize crop productivity based on the minimum beehive stocking densities that optimize pollen deposition and crop yield ha−1 depending on hive's quality. Knowing such a minimum allows for reduced operation costs for farmers, lower uncertainty of pollinators contribution to crop productivity and the risk of undesirable pollination scenarios, and helps to limit the potential negative impacts of saturating ecosystems with honeybees.
EEA Marcos Juárez
Fil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Ramírez Mejía, Andrés F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Chacoff, Natacha. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Argentina
Fil: Cavigliasso, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Marcos Juárez; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina
Fil: Blendinger, Pedro G. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Argentina
description Animal pollination is essential to guarantee the economic viability of pollination-dependent crops, and honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) play a central role as the most used species worldwide for pollination service management. Despite its importance, recommendations on honeybee hive stocking density are based on rules of thumb that assume hives as standardized units and do not consider the contingencies of the crop's pollen deposition demand. We developed a mechanistic simulation model to assess the consequences of variant hive quality and stocking density scenarios for blueberry productivity per hectare. To do so, we used Bayesian models, field experiments and secondary information to parametrize the simulation and estimate flower visitation rate, pollen deposition, and fruit production at the crop level. We found that maximizing pollen deposition at the crop level can be achieved with seven high quality-hives ha−1 (20000 bees colony−1), whereas reaching similar levels of pollination with conventional hives (10000 bees colony−1) would require 20 hives ha−1. Also, optimal hive stocking densities to maximize blueberry yield ha−1 needs four high quality-hives ha−1, whilst similar levels of productivity could be reached with 20 conventional colonies ha−1. From an economic and productive perspective, a lower unit rental price for conventional hives compensates for the use of less, but more expensive, high quality hives. Therefore, deciding using either low or high-quality hives should be based on, for instance, the logistic implications of using ∼2.5 more hives ha−1 and the consequences of using colonies with a poorer sanitation state for pollination service stability. Our work set the basis for a more biological and evidence-based protocol for honeybee hive management in blueberry crops. Indeed, integrating honeybee and blueberry pollination ecology, we provide a pragmatic approach to maximize crop productivity based on the minimum beehive stocking densities that optimize pollen deposition and crop yield ha−1 depending on hive's quality. Knowing such a minimum allows for reduced operation costs for farmers, lower uncertainty of pollinators contribution to crop productivity and the risk of undesirable pollination scenarios, and helps to limit the potential negative impacts of saturating ecosystems with honeybees.
publishDate 2024
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-10-25T11:31:29Z
2024-10-25T11:31:29Z
2024-12
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/19893
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304380024002795
0304-3800
1872-7026
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110891
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/19893
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304380024002795
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110891
identifier_str_mv 0304-3800
1872-7026
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PE-E1-I017-001, Desarrollo del sector apícola organizado, sustentable y competitivo
info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PE-L01-I069, Aportes al desarrollo sostenible de la apicultura argentina
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv restrictedAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Ecological Modelling 498 : 110891. (December 2024)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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