FRUIT-POLLINATING BEES OF THE GARHWAL HIMALAYA, U.P., INDIA

Fruit trees in the Lesser Himalaya of U.P. and adjacent northern Haryana are pollinated primarily by the honey bees, Apis cerana, A. florea, A. dorsata, and A. mellifera. Many farmers in the Lesser Himalaya keep A. cerana hives in niches in the walls of their houses and barns. In the Great Himalaya Range, fruit trees are pollinated primarily by halictine bees (especially Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) matianense) and Bumblebees. Apis laboriosa is the only honey bee found in this high northern area, 600 km west of its known range in Nepal. This, the world's largest honey bee, spends winters in the subtropical zone at 1,300 m, and migrates to the sub-alpine zone at 2,600 m, where it summers. The diverse species of bees that pollinate the following were investigated: peach (Prunus persica), plum (Prunus domestica), almond (Prunus dulcis), apricot (Prunus armeniaca), wild cherry (Prunus mira), cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), cherry (Prunus avium), various wild Prunus spp., sand pear (Pyrus ussurensis), pear (Pyrus communis), wild pear (Pyrus pashia), apple (Malus domestica), and Citrus sp. The survey covered several climatic zones and locations, from 579 to 3,100 m in elevation, in an area of about 4,400 km².