Abstract:
Pest management and insect pollination are important services that support crop production but are most often
studied in isolation in cropping systems. Avocado Persea americana Mill. is an economically important crop in East Africa,
which suffers from pest threats and potential drawbacks of the global pollinator crisis. The integration of pest and pollinator management is a growing research trend as a potential solution for sustainable crop production with minimum adverse
effects on the environment and biodiversity. This study assessed potential interactions between landscape context, honeybee Apis mellifera L. introduction and integrated pest management (IPM) on avocado pests Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)
and Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick), pollinators, and productivity in Kenya. Results showed an interaction between
honeybee introduction and IPM on A. mellifera, with the highest mean abundance on the farms with both honeybee colonies
and IPM. The abundance and diversity of non-Apis flower visitors were not affected by IPM and honeybee introduction
across the landscapes. Pollinator introduction and IPM implementation resulted in a 941% fruit set increase and up to 97%
fruit abscission within the high vegetation productivity class. Pest abundance significantly decreased on the farms with
IPM, resulting in a 6% increase of final fruit weight compared with the farms without IPM. Overall, integration of pest and
pollinator management did not synergistically increase the final avocado yield but represented a potential strategy to reduce
pest densities while preserving wild visitors and benefiting from secondary products of honeybee colonies.
