North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Dan Nave <nave1@comcast.net>]

According to this publication, the kiwi fruit does not produce nectar, and implies that they are 
visited by insects for the sake of their pollen.

Dan

http://www.pollinationcanada.ca/lit/Pollinator%20Awareness%20Paper.pdf

"Pollen is secondary to nectar as a floral feed reward for most insects. 
Because it is rich in protein,
between seven and 35%,57 and starch, it is a vital food to the minor or 
primitive pollinators, as well
as to bee larvae, which are totally dependent on pollen, nectar and in some 
instances floral
oils.26,56,71 In plants that don’t offer nectar, pollen can be rich in lipids, including sterols 
that are
building blocks of hormones and pheromones. Pollen can also contain vitamins, 
enzymes and
pigments. Special food bodies called staminodes (non-pollen-producing stamen) 
satiate floraldestructive
insects.38 Some plants that need pollination, such as wild roses or kiwi 
fruit, don’t even
produce nectar.19,37 Plants must ensure that any one visiting insect does not 
take so much pollen in
one visit that pollination success is jeopardized by that insect either 
returning directly to its nest
satiated or not leaving any floral rewards for the next visitor. Many complex 
flowers force bees to
forage in a restricted position so that some pollen becomes attached to a 
part of their body that
cannot be easily groomed into their pollen baskets,71 thereby ensuring pollen 
transfer."



On 6/9/2011 12:59 PM, Douglas Woodard wrote:
> It might have something to do with a local population buildup among
> pollinators that like and/or can use kiwiflowers, and that benefit from
> the availability of kiwi flowers. It would look to us like "learning."
>
> I draw an analogy with the custom among dairy farmers to change the
> diets of their cows gradually so that the species composition of their
> gut microorganisms on which they depend so heavily, has time to adjust.
>
> It may also have something to do with a decrease in the number of
> species of pollinators in many places under modern conditions.
>
> Doug Woodard
> St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
>
>
> On 09/06/2011 1:36 PM, Alexander Brands wrote:
> > > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 19:52:28 -0700 (PDT)
> > > From: John S<swim_at_svc@yahoo.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Bees Don't Like my Kiwis
> > > To: North American Fruit Explorers<nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> > >
> > > Alan,
> > >
> > > I had a conversation with a local berry grower that also does kiwis
> > > a couple of years back.? He indicated it can take years for the
> > > local pollinators to discover and get used to kiwi.
> > An interesting idea, but I'm skeptical.  This would depend on
> > individuals (pollinators) living for several years, wouldn't it?
> >
> > Perhaps another possibility along these lines would be that social
> > pollinators don't easily find it, but once one of them does, it tells
> > the others in the colony, ala the honeybee dance.....but this would
> > still depend on individuals living more than one season and
> > remembering where the kiwis are.
> >
> > I'm not aware of bees doing this, but I'm no expert, and it wouldn't
> > be the first time someone underestimated the insects.
> >
> > Alex
> _