Foraging behavior of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) on male and female flowers of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) (Cucurbitaceae) in Constantine area (Algeria).

Foraging behavior of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) on male and female flowers of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) (Cucurbitaceae) in Constantine area (Algeria). Gathering insects of Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae) have been studied in the flowering of 2001 and 2002 in the region of Constantine (eastern Algeria). The observations showed that the majority forager's insect of the plant are Hymenoptera Apoidea. The Apidae, Apis mellifera L. and Ceratina cucurbitina Rossi and the Megachilidae, Megachile leachella Curtis and M. pilidens Alfken are the most frequent visitors on flowers. The proportions of visits by bees are higher on staminate flowers than pistillate flowers. On average, the four species were visited between 6 and 8 flowers per minute and their visiting times on pistillate flowers are significantly slower compared with the staminate flowers.