LAUSR

Abstract. The possible role of pollinators enhancing soybean production has been an ongoing topic of study. The effect of flower visitation, especially by honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in this self-pollinated crop has resulted in no benefit increasing soybean yield, or at times a significant impact on grain production, differences that might be caused by the influence of multiple field condition variables. In this study, an experimental design that excludes insects from soybean plants during the ∼20-day flowering period was used. Results indicated that he number of pods per plant, seeds per pod, and grain yield were not different in plants covered with mesh that prevented insect visitation to flowers, compared with adjacent soybean plants not covered. The single-season studies showed that despite a large number of active honey bee hives 25-50 m away from the evaluated soybean plants, the insects rarely entered the fields, and those that did, spent no time foraging, even when more than 5 million soybean flowers per hectare were available at a very short distance from their hives.