THE IMPORTANCE OF HONEY BEES IN THE POLLINATION AND PLANT PRODUCTION
2 Arıcılık Araştırma Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü, Dedeli Kampüsü, Altınordu, 52200 Ordu Viewed : 1714 - Downloaded : 983 There are 200 economically important plants that require bee pollination for reproduction. Particularly, the countries which have an active role in agricultural production accept honey bees as an important factor in modern agriculture. Honey bees have become an important factor of plant production and agriculture because they thrive in diverse climates, have been domesticated and can be manipulated by people. Scientific research has indicated that crop quality and quantity can be increased by using honey bees to facilitate crop pollination even in self pollinating plant species. For some plant species, crop yield depends on honey bees and insects in a 100 % rate and it shows how important the pollination is in the plant production.
Honey bees are significantly important in agriculture for seed and crop production due to their role in the process of pollination. Since pollination ensures the continuity of nature, besides quality and quantity of the product are increased in agriculture, earlier and more uniform product is obtained, the shape of the product is properly formed, storage life is increased, and high quality hybrid seed that has a high germination quality is obtained. Honey bees use in environments where pollinators are absent or scarce will increase native plant set, which helps reduce soil erosion and prevent extinction of endangered plant species. By this means, biological balance is protected.
In this review article, the role of honey bees in pollination, the contribution to the efficiency of plant production and some gains with bees through pollination result was presented according to the domestic and foreign literature.
Keywords : Honey Bee, Pollination, Fertilization, Crop Production, Yield