Research Notes : Osmia rufa L. (Apoidea, Megalichiae) -A potential pollenator in the subgenus Glycine

Studies on the biology of flowering of wild forms of the subgenus Glycine conducted in a controlled environment demonstrated a conspicuous drop-off of chasmogamic flowers within racemes (Skorupska et al., in press). For pollination, a small-sized insect was employed, viz., a wild bee Osmia rufa L. (0. bicornis L.). The selected wild bee of the family Mechali-chidae is described as the garden mason bee (W6jtowski, 1979)

Potential effects of oilseed rape expressing oryzacystatin-1 (OC-1) and of purified insecticidal proteins on larvae of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis

Despite their importance as pollinators in crops and wild plants, solitary bees have not previously been included in non-target testing of insect-resistant transgenic crop plants. Larvae of many solitary bees feed almost exclusively on pollen and thus could be highly exposed to transgene products expressed in the pollen. The potential effects of pollen from oilseed rape expressing the cysteine protease inhibitor oryzacystatin-1 (OC-1) were investigated on larvae of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis (= O. rufa). Furthermore, recombinant OC-1 (rOC-1), the Bt toxin Cry1Ab and the snowdrop lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) were evaluated for effects on the life history parameters of this important pollinator. Pollen provisions from transgenic OC-1 oilseed rape did not affect overall development. Similarly, high doses of rOC-1 and Cry1Ab as well as a low dose of GNA failed to cause any significant effects. However, a high dose of GNA (0.1%) in the larval diet resulted in significantly increased development time and reduced efficiency in conversion of pollen food into larval body weight. Our results suggest that OC-1 and Cry1Ab expressing transgenic crops would pose a negligible risk for O. bicornis larvae, whereas GNA expressing plants could cause detrimental effects, but only if bees were exposed to high levels of the protein. The described bioassay with bee brood is not only suitable for early tier non-target tests of transgenic plants, but also has broader applicability to other crop protection products

Research Notes : Osmia rufa L. (Apoidea, Megalichiae) -A potential pollenator in the subgenus Glycine

Studies on the biology of flowering of wild forms of the subgenus Glycine conducted in a controlled environment demonstrated a conspicuous drop-off of chasmogamic flowers within racemes (Skorupska et al., in press). For pollination, a small-sized insect was employed, viz., a wild bee Osmia rufa L. (0. bicornis L.). The selected wild bee of the family Mechali-chidae is described as the garden mason bee (W6jtowski, 1979).</p

The Effectiveness of Catching Aphids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aphidinea) in Moericke and Light Traps

The studies were conducted in an urban greenery area of Poznań, Poland to compare the effectiveness of Moericke colour traps and light traps used to catch aphids. The combined methods yielded 61 aphid species from the area. The light trap caught 51 species, while 44 species were caught using the Moericke trap. Over 4,000 specimens were collected with each method separately