南投名間地區蜂蜜花粉團之研究

The Study of Bee- Collected Pollen loads in Nantou, Taiwan

本文分析1991年自名間由蜜蜂採集之花粉團，鑑定其所含花粉之種類，並由花粉之出現頻率探討該地區之粉源植物。此結果可供蜂農作為種植或尋找粉源植物時之參考，以提高花粉團產量，增加蜂農之收益。本研究利用光學顯微鏡及掃描式電子顯微鏡研究觀察花粉團內花粉的外部微細構造，並與現生植物花粉之微細構造做比較。藉此得知南投名間地區重要之粉源植物及其花期，並討論氣候、花部特徵及其它可能影響蜜蜂採集活動之因子。由花粉分析之結果得知：名間地區之粉源植物共計57科108種。其中菊科出現的種類最多，共12種，次為豆科有9種，大戟科有8種，茄科有5種，禾本科有4種。另一方面，茶科的出現頻率最高，佔全年的28.69%，次為菊科佔24.3%，豆科佔8.77%，禾本科佔7.44%。全年開花之植物為霍香薊（Ageratum sp.）和龍葵（Solanum nigrum）；花期長達半年以上者為鬼針（Bidens bipinnata）等13種；一年兩次花期者僅有春不老（Ardisia squamulosa）和水稻（Oryza sativa）。1991年全年中有152天於蜂巢前裝置花粉收集器以收集花粉團。實驗中，一個蜂群可收取6.3公斤之花粉團，此重恰可維持蜂群之生存。蜜蜂上午（12時以前）採集花粉之量多於下午採集之量。三至四月間蜜蜂偏重於採集荔枝和龍眼之花蜜，對花粉之採量大為降低；六至九月為雨季，且溫度常高於30°C，大大影響蜜蜂之活動，因此亦使花粉團之產量減少，此為全年中兩個花粉團之低產量期。影響蜜蜂的花粉採集活動之因子，包括花型、花色、花藥開裂之時間、植物分布及氣溫等。多數粉源植物具下列特徵：花冠開展或花藥明顯可見、花色為黃或白色、花藥於上午開裂，以及植物生長地與蜂箱距離較近者。

This study analyzes the content of the pollen loads collected by honeybees in the town of Ming-Chien in Nantou County, located in the middle of Taiwan, during the one year period of 1991 and investigates the pollen gathering activity of Apis mellifera. This study identified 106 pollen taxa belonging to 56 angiosperm families, one Lycopodium spore and one fungus spore. Among the pollen identified, 12 species belong to Compositae, 9 to Leguminosae, 7 to Euphorbiaceae, 5 to Solanaceae and 4 to Gramineae. Pollen of Camellia sinensis occupies the highest frequency (28.69%), followed by the Ageratum conyzoides and A. houstonianum (18.95%), Mimosa pudica(6.85%), Oryza sativa (5.98%), Citrus grandis (5.80%) and Humulus scandens(4.72%). Honeybee collects pollen from both entomophilous and anemophilous plants. Cultivated plants and wild plants are both equally important pollen sources. Factors that affect pollen gathering activity of bees include the morphology and color of the flower, time of anthesis, distribution of plants, temperature and humidity. Most of the pollen source plants have the following features; yellow or white flowers with opened petals and exposed anther, noon-time anthesis and location close to the hive.