Could Tetragonisca angustula Latreille (Apinae, Meliponini) be effective as strawberry pollinator in greenhouses?

We evaluated the contribution of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula as a strawberry pollinator using primary flowers of the ‘Oso Grande’ cultivar. We applied 4 pollination treatments: open-pollination in the field, T. angustula pollination inside a greenhouse, and spontaneous self-pollination in the field and greenhouse. In each treatment we determined berry weight, number of achenes, number of fertilised ovules, fertilisation rates, and the percentage of marketable fruit. The results showed that one colony of this species in a greenhouse with approximately 1350 strawberry plants was adequate to pollinate ‘Oso Grande’ primary flowers. The contribution of T. angustula to the weight and shape of primary berries demonstrated that this bee species is an effective strawberry pollinator and it can promote a significant increase in overall strawberry production.