The role of a non-Apis bee in the fructification of Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench 1794 (Malvales: Malvaceae) flowers in Bambili (Cameroon)

Experiments were made to determine the effects of the non- Apis bee visits on the pollination and the productivity of Abelmoschus esculentus from January 9 to February 10, 2020 in Bambili. Two treatments were used on 30 randomly-selected plants for each. These included bagging flowers to avoid any other visits (treatment no1) and bagged flowers limited on a single visit of the non-Apis bee (treatment no2). The foraging behavior on flowers and the pollination efficiency (fruiting rate, number of seeds / fruit and percentage of normal seeds) of that insect species were recorded. Results showed that the fructification rate, the number of seeds per fruit and the percentage of normal seeds of treatment no2 was significantly high than that of treatment no1. The non-Apis bee foraged pollen and nectar of A. esculentus flowers. The insect species was effective pollinator as its visit increased the fruiting rate by 38.53%. The nests attraction of this wild bee is recommended to improve the pollination and the productivity of gumbo in Bambili.