Preliminary Studies on Insect Visitors to Teak (<I>Tectona grandis</I> Linn. F.) Inflorescence in Kerala, India

Abstract

In a study on the insect pollinators of teak in Kerala, 17 species of. insects belonging to the orders Hymenoptera. Diptera and Lepidoptera were collected and identified. Maximum number of insects collected belonged to the order Hymenoptera. Among these, the solitary bees, Halictus sp., Prosopis pratensis and Allodope marginata were the most frequent visitors. None of the domesticated bee species was observed and this could probably be due to their absence in the vicinity. The possibility of enhancing pollination with the help of domesticated bee species needs to be explored.