<b>Flowering entomofauna and fruit production in watermelon (<em>Citrullus lanatus</em> Thunb.) – Cucurbitaceae</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v27i3.1408

Abstract

The present experiment was carried out to study the frequency, collection type (nectar and/or pollen), behaviour of insects on watermelon flowers, Citrullus lanatus var. Crimson sweet, and the effect of these insects on fruit production. The flowers were marked and fruit set was evaluated: 14 female flowers were protected and compared to the same number of unprotected flowers. The most frequent insects were stingless bees Trigona spinipes (48.72%), followed by stingless bees Tetragonisca angustula (15.70%), Africanized honeybees Apis mellifera (9.93%), flies - Diptera (9.30%), wasps - Vespidae (7.70%), ants - Formicidae (5.13%) and butterflies - Lepidoptera (3.52%). T. spinipes visited the flowers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. without injuring them and preferred male flowers (82.9%) compared to female ones (17.1%). These bees decreased the frequency in elapsing the day. T. angustula preferred male flowers (85.4%) compared to female ones (14.6%) and showed a peak of nectar hoarding at 9 a.m. and pollen hoarding at 6 p.m. A. mellifera preferred visiting male flowers too (71.0%) compared to female ones (29.0%), showing two peaks of hoarding at 10 a.m. for nectar and 6 p.m. for pollen. Flowers of the covered area, which were not visited by insects, did not produce fruits.