@article{Mensah_Kudom_2011, title={Foraging dynamics and pollination efficiency of Apis mellifera and Xylocopa olivacea on Luffa aegyptiaca Mill (Cucurbitaceae) in southern Ghana}, volume={4}, url={https://pollinationecology.org/index.php/jpe/article/view/106}, DOI={10.26786/1920-7603(2011)6}, abstractNote={As a result of different levels of pollination efficiency of pollinators, knowledge on appropriate pollinators of a plant has become important, especially in the management and conservation of both the pollinators and the plants. In this study, the pollination efficiency of <em>Apis mellifera</em> and <em>Xylocopa</em> <em>olivacea</em>, important pollinators of <em>Luffa aegyptiaca</em>, were assessed in the southern coastal part of Ghana from June 2009 to September 2010. Pollination efficiency of <em>A. mellifera</em> and<em> X. olivacea </em>was estimated in terms of fruit set and fruit size. Further, data on daily and seasonal nectar dynamics of <em>Luffa aegyptiaca </em>were collected. In the early mornings (0600-0700), <em>X.</em> <em>olivacea</em> was the most frequent visitor (0.47 min<sup>-1</sup>) on the female flowers compared to <em>A. mellifera</em> (0.13 min<sup>-1</sup>). The mean nectar (sugar) concentration in the dry season was 36.58 ± 0.55 %, which was higher than the 34.03 ± 0.38 % obtained for the rainy season (<em>F</em> = 14.986; df = 2; <em>P</em> < 0.0001). Total amount of sugar in the early mornings was 1.88 ± 0.37 mg which was higher than 0.28 ± 0.04 mg in the mid mornings (<em>χ</em>2 = 14.33, df = 1, <em>P</em> < 0.0001). Fruits that developed from flowers that had received a single visit from <em>X.</em> <em>olivacea</em> had a mean weight of 428.7g and were 1.5 times heavier than fruits from flowers visited by <em>A. mellifera </em>(286.76 g)<em>.</em> <em>X</em>. <em>olivacea</em> was more efficient than<em> A. mellifera </em>in terms of number of fruit set per single visit. This study has provided some knowledge on pollination ecology of <em>L. aegyptiaca</em>, which can be exploited to improve fruit production in commercially grown vine crops.}, journal={Journal of Pollination Ecology}, author={Mensah, Ben and Kudom, Andreas}, year={2011}, month={May}, pages={34–38} }