Does the introduced bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (Apidae), prefer flowers of introduced or native plants in Australia?
Andrew B. Hingston Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia. Email: hingston@utas.edu.au Abstract Proponents of importation of the European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (L.), into Australia for pollination of commercial greenhouse crops argue that this species will have little impact on Australian native ecosystems because it prefers to forage on flowers of introduced species of plants rather than Australian native plants. However, data presented as evidence of preference for introduced plants have been equivocal. This study compared the attractiveness of introduced and Australian native plants to free-foraging B. terrestris in a garden at the interface between an urban area and native vegetation in the Australian island of Tasmania, where a feral population of B. terrestris had been established for over 10 years. No evidence was found to support the proposal that B. terrestris forages on flowers of introduced plants in p
