Population management in the mason bee species Osmia cornuta and O rufa for orchard pollination in Serbia (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Abstract

The brief history of utilization of commercialized species of Osmia for pollination of orchards and berry crops in the world is reviewed. Their effectiveness in pollinating different kinds of fruit plants is stressed. Managment of Osmia cornuta (Latreille 1805) and O rufa (Linneaus 1758) populations and their use in the climatic conditions of the wider vicinity of Belgrade are discussed. The species O cornuta and O rufa have been used to pollinate orchards in Serbia for more than 20 years, but still not very intensively. © 2006 E. Schweizerbar'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.