Abstract
The pollination efficiencies of Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides (Neotropical stingless bee) and Bombus terrestris (bumblebee) were evaluated in tomatoes ‘Hausumomotaro’ cultivated in a greenhouse in 2005. The house was divided into two sections. Colonies of M. quadrifasciata and B. terrestris were respectively introduced into each section. High pollination efficiency by both species was proven, but there was no significant difference in total fruit mass/inflorescence or in the ratio of normal fruits/plant between the two sections. Fruit set ratio was higher in M. quadrifasciata, in comparison with B. terrestris. This may be caused by differences in the foraging behavior between M. quadrifasciata and B. terrestris. In the later species, foragers visited the same flower repeatedly, when available numbers of flowers was reduced, and injured the style with its mandible during the buzz pollinating behavior while in M. quadrifasciata, there was no such over-visiting behavior.
