Towards integrated pollination management in Spanish almond orchards

Almond trees are economically important and cultivated across the Mediterranean subtropics. The pollinators of almonds are nearly unknown in Europe. We analysed the species composition of bees visiting flowers of almond trees in twelve almond orchards in three regions near Lleida, Spain. The European honeybee was the most abundant among the 14 bee species found, followed by the European orchard bee; native bees composed 10% of all observed pollinators. In orchards where European orchard bees were kept in nesting blocks, they were the most abundant pollinators, outnumbering European honeybees. When comparing the species visiting almond flowers and other flowers in almond orchards, the managed bumblebees and European orchard bees were present on the almond flowers only and several wild bees (e.g., Andrena florentina , Andrena nigroaenea ), too. The European honey bee can be used to pollinate almonds as it visits the blossoms abundantly, and two alternative managed pollinators ( Osmia cornuta and Bombus terrestris ) are also attracted to almond blossoms and could also be used to secure pollination of almonds. Certain native bees can occur abundantly on the almond blossoms and could be managed via habitat creation to secure further pollination, while other wild bees that do not visit the almond blossoms are still benefiting from the flowering vegetation in and around the orchards, as this vegetation supports biodiversity conservation.