Effectiveness of Bombus impatiens Cr as pollinators of greenhouse sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L)

A colony of 30-40 Bombus impatiens Cr. was evaluated for their effectiveness as pollinators of sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum cv. Superset) inside a screened greenhouse. B. impatiens activity at the hive and on flowers, individual B. impatiens flights and the number of seeds produced per fruit were recorded during 2 periods, (1): 30 June-14 July and (2): 4-18 August, 1995. Although activity at the hive, B. impatiens foraging and colony size all decreased from period 1 to 2, there was no significant difference between periods for the number of seeds produced per fruit. Growers can expect effective pollination of sweet peppers by using B. impatiens throughout the growing season even with as few as 3 foragers per 425 plants (i.e. 176 B. impatiens per hectare).