Variations in the Abundance and Diversity of Insects in Apple Orchards of Kumaun, Western Himalaya, India

Abstract

Availability of pollinators in a landscape plays a significant role in pollination success, which is essentially important for crops like apple with high dependence on animal-mediated pollination. Realizing this, to estimate the availability (diversity and density) of insect visitors, including pollinators, the present study included pan trap experiments and transect walks for assessment of foraging resources across eight apple orchards in Kumaun, Western Himalaya, India. It was observed that insects were attracted more towards yellow traps, and availability was highest in summer season. Apple mass flowering during summer, in spite of lower diversity of other foraging resource, helps in maintaining availability of insect groups.