Abstract:
Flower-visiting insects are essential in maintaining a healthy and productive agricultural
landscape through ecosystem services such as pollination. Fruits are important sources of
vitamins and micronutrients, and several fruit crops depend on animal pollination, which
enhances their nutritional content. Besides honey bees, apple orchards can sustain a large
number of arthropod species that also aid in pollination. In this present study, we assessed the
diversity and abundance of insect flower visitors in six apple orchards in Nyeri and Laikipia East.
Six plots, each with more than 20 apple trees, were purposefully selected. Data were collected
through timed visual searches and sweep netting. Sampling was done from 0900 hours to 1700
hours, six days a week, for five months consecutively in 2019. Diversity indices were computed
using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, while abundance patterns were displayed using
species abundance curves. Differences in species diversity and abundance between sites were
compared using a one-way analysis of variance. A total of 1,221 insects belonging to 23 families,
82 species, and 4 orders (Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera) were recorded.
The order Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants) was the most abundant, with 1,176 individuals,
and had the most species-rich taxa, with 56 species in 9 families. The order Coleoptera (beetles)
was second, with 26 individuals and 12 species in 6 families. Lepidoptera were the least
abundant with 10 individuals and the least species-rich taxa with 7 species in 5 families, followed
closely by Diptera with 7 individuals and 7 species in 3 families. There were significant
differences in flower visitors’ composition among the six sites. The study provides important
information on the status of key apple flower visitors, which can guide orchard management
practises to increase apple yield through pollinator conservation. Conserving apple pollinators
will enhance fruit production, promote the livelihoods of farmers, and contribute to the national
economy.
