International Journal of Entomology Research

Pollen is the vital source of nutrition for the bees in their larval stage which in turn determines their overall fitness. Pollen traps established at bee hive entrance during two sampling period i.e. morning (0900-1100 hrs) and midday (1100-1300 hrs) at Baruipur in 2015 was used to determine the amount of pollen collected by Apis cerana. A total of 28 different pollen types collected by the bees demonstrated the occurrence of pollen rich flora in the surroundings of study site. Significant difference in temperature between two sampling periods seems to affect the foraging behaviour of bees. The dry weight, amount and type of pollen grains thus collected were also noteworthy amongst other unknown relevant parameters. Predominance of Pisum sativum and Litchi chinensis pollen types in the morning and Rosa and Brassica pollen types in the midday samples highlighted the significance of such flowering plants as pollen sources during specific hours of the day.