
%0 Journal Article
%A Radford, BJ 
%A Rhodes, JW 
%A Nielsen, RGH 
%T Populations of honeybees pollinating sunflower crops on the central Darling Downs, Queensland
%J Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
%D 1979/12/01
%V 19
%N 101
%P 716-718
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/EA9790716
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA9790716 
%X Populations of honeybees pollinating flowering sunflower heads in 42 fields on the central Darling Downs were recorded. Mean populations ranged from 21.9 to 171.2 bees per 100 flowering heads. A calculated maximum requirement for the region during fine weather amounted to 24 bees per 100 flowering heads. Populations were positively correlated with number of hives within 3 km of fields. In 18 fields with no hives within 3 km, mean populations (apparently from feral colonies) ranged from 21.9 to 130.9 bees per 100 flowering heads. These populations showed no significant correlation with area of crop in the range 2-95 ha. In another study on the central Darling Downs, seed set was not significantly correlated with number of hives within 3 km, indicating that feral bee populations were adequate for sunflower pollination. 
