99874 - Apidology and Pollination

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will know the biology of the main managed and wild bees, the importance of pollination service and the strategies for a pollinator crop management. The student will achieves the ability to adopt the best strategies to improve functional biodiversity of insect pollinators in the agro-ecosystems.

Course contents

PART 1. POLLINATION ECOLOGY

Pollination biology: basic concepts.

The main insect pollinators.

The value of pollination service.

Decline of bees: trend, causes and consequences. The impacts of the agrochemical pesticides on bees.

PART 2. BEES AND OTHER MANAGED POLLINATORS

Systematics, morphology and ecology of bees.

Honey bees and beekeeping: History of beekeeping. Biology and management. Beekeeping practices. Beehive products.

Bumble bees: Biology and management.

Mason bees: Biology and management.

Other manged solitary bees: Biology and management.

Stingless bees and meliponiculture: Biology and management.

Dipteran pollinators: Biology and management.

PART 3. STRATEGIES TO INTEGRATE CROP POLLINATION WITH PEST MANAGEMENT

Habitat creation and management for pollinators.

Integrated Pest and Pollination Management (IPPM).

Identify and assessing pollination deficits in crops.

Pollination management system and Integrated Crop Pollination. 

Applied pollination: case-studies (fruit crops, vegetable crops, oilseed crops, forage crops, fibre crops).

Entomovectoring technology.

Problems linked with the introduction and diffusion of managed bees.

Bees as bioindicators and in the environmental risk assessment.

PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES

Systematics of bees and visit to the entomological collection "Guido Grandi".

Monitoring activities and field survey.

Visit to the experimental apiary

Seminars from experts

 

Readings/Bibliography

For the preparation of the course, the teachers will provide in Virtuale the PowerPoint lessons used during the teaching.

For further information, the following books are recommended:

• Contessi A. 2016 – Le api: Biologia, allevamento, prodotti. Edagricole, Bologna.
• Delaplane K. S. 2021 - Crop Pollination by Bees, Volume 1. CABI
• Abrol D. P. (2012). Pollination biology. Biodiversity Conservation and Agricultural Production. Springer
• Ollerton J. (2021). Pollinators and Pollination: Nature and Society. Pelagic Publishing
• Walker T. (2020). Pollination. Princeton University Press

Other suggested books:

• AA. VV. 2014 - Patologia e avversità dell’alveare (a cura di Emanuele Carpana e Marco Lodesani). Springer
• AA.VV. 2008 - Bee population in agricultural ecosystems (edited by Rosalind R. James, Theresa L. Pitts-Singer). Oxford University Press.
• Goulson D. 2010 - Bumblebee. Behaviour, ecology and conservation. Dave Goulson. Oxford University Press.

Teaching methods

The course includes theoretical lectures, practical lectures in the classroom and laboratory, as well as visits to institutions involved in sustainable plant protection.

• Lectures (36 hours) treat the program in a theoretical way.
• Practical activities (24 hours)

Assessment methods

Final oral exam (duration: about 15 minutes). The student will be evaluated taking into account: the knowledge of the main concepts of the course, the critical analysis of the course topic, the communication capacity and the proper use of scientific terminology.

Teaching tools

PC, PowerPoint projector

Office hours

See the website of Fabio Sgolastra