Location problem of Osmia cornuta nesting aids for optimum pollination.

Abstract

The economic contribution of insect pollinators is evident as they contribute to higher crop yield quantity and quality. The management of bee species is key to crop production, especially where wild and domesticated bees are in low abundance. Several bee species have been identified as possible candidates for replacing, or at least supplementing, the decreasing number of honey bees. Our research seeks to address the location problem as regards nesting aids for Osmia cornuta bees in orchards using mathematical programming models for determining the optimal location of nesting aids and optimizing the management of solitary bees. A differential evolution algorithm is used to solve a location model of Osmia cornuta nesting aids for optimum pollination. Instead of a random ad hoc location of nesting aids in an orchard, or at the edge of an orchard, we utilize an effective optimization tool to determine locations which will optimize pollination by alternative pollinators, and increase the economic output of an agricultural business. The importance of this proposed model is likely to increase with agricultural intensification, and the decrease of the numbers of wild pollinators.