Author Topic: Annona pollinator (Read 8493 times)

FlyingFoxFruits · « **on:** May 05, 2012, 11:04:56 AM »

Took this photo yesterday,

it's of my favorite atemoya (Pet Pak Chong)

As luck would have it...a pollinating beetle was enjoying the scenery inside of this flower.

Thank goodness I have nitidulids to help me pollinate (two types here, a large one like in photo, and smaller ones), I don't have the time this year to do it all myself!

you may have to open the photo and click twice to see the detail. Enjoy.

emegar · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2012, 11:39:52 AM »

Adam,

When you uploaded this photo, did you select the "family friendly" or "adult content" descriptor? Looks a little obscene to me, though it may just be that I'm jealous of your having natural pollinators there in FL for your annonas!

James

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2012, 12:16:14 PM »

thanks James,

I guess it's not legal for me to mail u some if these beetles? haha!

but I can offer this funny annona tidbit:

if you have a bunch of annona flowers, take a female flower, make sure it's fragrant...and bust it off the tree.

Now turn the flower upside down, so that the three petals (sometimes two or four though!) are pointed skyward.

and finally, take the flower intact and wedge two of the three petals up your nostrils, firmly, so they don't fall out... the third petal ends up laying right against the tip of your nose.

now your plugged in to the " annona aroma", and it's therapeutic effects can be almost intoxicating.

I've picked up this nasty habit by accidentally snapping of flowers when pollinating. Without the heart to throw this lovely scented flower to the floor...i chose the only option i saw fit, as to not waste this precious product of my plant.

so attempt at your own risk! it could be dangerous...I only could last about 30 seconds before I had to bail! it was like cookie dough and wet paint...and I somehow love the smell! lol

maybe I was a nitidulid in my past life? or one of those poor souls u see on COPS, with paint and a rag!

HAHA!

sorry I never can resist.

emegar · « **Reply #3 on:** May 05, 2012, 01:26:35 PM »

Don't think I'm not going to try that, Adam! Last summer I felt like a hummingbird as I craned my neck, sticking my nose into dangling cherimoya blossoms. Your method seems much more chiropractically sound.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2012, 02:15:07 PM »

Quote from: emegar on May 05, 2012, 01:26:35 PM

Don't think I'm not going to try that, Adam! Last summer I felt like a hummingbird as I craned my neck, sticking my nose into dangling cherimoya blossoms. Your method seems much more chiropractically sound.

chiropractically not mentally.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #5 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:28:05 PM »

mine pollinate, I have photo evidence of such processes taking place, with clear evidence of pollen on the hairs on the head of this species. (not denticles! OOPS! wrong word)

they do eat the fragrant fleshy petals as an offering from the plant.

it's my opinion that you have been resticting the insect that pollinates this tree!

thanks for the info, about these beetles eating young fruits. I never knew.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2012, 04:41:42 PM »

enduser

I've already posted pics of those smaller aformentioned beetles. search the forum, keyword "nitidulid"

I will post pics of this larger beetle pollinating...

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #7 on:** May 05, 2012, 06:54:16 PM »

i searched the forum for nitidulid, and the picture I posted before of the larger type beetle, clearly shows its head and hairs, touching receptive parts of flower...and where pollen sheds.

Guanabanus · « **Reply #8 on:** May 05, 2012, 07:37:16 PM »

Nice pictures, both of you.

I am unfamiliar with that variety of atemoya. I see that the petals are unusually wide and rounded.

I have lashed thousands of flowers shut with grafting rubbers, but not for the reason you mentioned, Enduser, as I haven't observed that problem here often enough to bother with.

I simply wanted to keep out any other pollenator after I had specified on a tag which pollen I had placed there. I believe the tying also may have increased the likelyhood of my pollination's causing fruit set, by maintaining higher humidity inside the closed flower.

FloridaGreenMan · « **Reply #9 on:** May 05, 2012, 07:54:05 PM »

Nitiludid beetles are about the size of the letter "o" in this e-mail.....

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #10 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:28:50 AM »

fruitlovers · « **Reply #11 on:** May 06, 2012, 06:04:25 AM »

Is it possible you're both talking about different beetles? Very large family with lots of look alikes.

Guanabanus · « **Reply #12 on:** May 06, 2012, 09:58:34 AM »

Thank you, Enduser, for that excellent, very specific info.

Adam, You are right about what I have normally seen here--- harmless damage to the petals, not to the female parts.

Many flowers in the Annonaceae provide protein-rich corrugations on the inside of the petals, right adjacent to the sexual parts. This protein serves no other purpose than to reward betels for wiggling around in the pollen of one flower as they finish their feast, and then wiggling around on the stigma of the next flower that they visit. These corrugations are readily visible in some Asimina species..

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #13 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:55:59 AM »

thanks for helping set the record straight enduser
and guanabanus! (and Oscar! good comment about us both having similar beetles)

I always thought they were just a larger nitidulid!

although they do seem to transmit pollen, they don't look like they do as good a job as the nitidulid!

I wonder what other pollinators of annona flowers exist, that we don't recognize in FL? Ants seem capable of helping, and I've seen them in flowers...I wonder???

thanks again for identifiying this beetle enduser!!! much appreciated!

JF · « **Reply #14 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:13:05 PM »

This is a fascinating thread. I see insects inside the petals of my annonas all the time. I'm going to take some pics this year so you guys can ID them.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:18:43 PM »

JF,

I always thought of myself a being an amateur entomologist, but Enduser has demonstrated some very good identification capabilities.

I can wait to see who identifies your buggers first! My entomological engine is all revved up.

I will be haunting this thread, waiting for pics to appear in the meantime.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #16 on:** May 06, 2012, 02:58:52 PM »

thanks end user.

I notice my mango blooms smell like natural ice beer and the nastiest flies come to drink at the mango bloom bar.

yes ants are associated with sucking insects and fungus, but they are seldom a bother on my most favorite species. annonas and myrciaria.

I still can't help but wonder, how many ants have pollenated an atemoya flower. I see them in flowers at all times and all stages. I think they do contribute to fruit set, be it a positive from pollenation or negative from pathogenic componets that they introduce.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #17 on:** May 06, 2012, 03:02:58 PM »

oops tried to fix post and eneded up quoting myself...I wish I could remove posts sometimes! sorry!

Mod edit: you can always put "mod, pls remove this post. User error" we'd be happy to help

Mike T · « **Reply #18 on:** May 06, 2012, 04:52:54 PM »

I have found that Cetonid beetles like those pictured in the annona flower also pollinate my annonas here.There are 1000's of species of day flying, nectar loving species in this branch of the scarabs.Some types do some chewing of sweet fruit and flower parts but that can be forgiven for services rendered.

Guanabanus · « **Reply #19 on:** May 06, 2012, 05:00:21 PM »

I have never seen Nitidulids in soursop flowers--- that is one of my arguements against including Soursop in the Annona genus.

At Zill High Performance Plants, for many years there was a large potted 'Whitman Fiberless' Soursop, rooted into the ground in side a greenhouse. We noticed that when it was well sprayed with insecticides and beautiful looking, that it set few if any fruits. When it had lots of scale and meally bug and sooty mold, and lots of huge Bull Ants tending the pests right on and inside the fat flower petals, the tree was reasonably productive. But we never saw any pollen grains sticking to the ants, even though soursop pollen grains are huge and obvious (another difference from the true Annona species).

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #20 on:** May 06, 2012, 05:07:05 PM »

Guanabana flowers smell like bleached laundry...

I don't see how the same beetles could be attracted.

Guanabanus · « **Reply #21 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:25:52 PM »

Adam,
You are right. The flowers of soursop, soncoya, and other related trees smell like cloroform, rubbing alcohol, acetone, and anything else unpleasantly chemical. The extremely different category of smells, huge pollen grains, stickiness of pollen, woody anthers, and large fat flower shape, with six large petals that bugs have to squeeze between at the base, rather than up the middle--- all delineate a deservably distinct genus from the true Annonas with their honey-scented small-pollen-grained flowers. The opinions of bugs are more relevant than those of Linnaeus!

fruitlovers · « **Reply #22 on:** May 07, 2012, 04:45:02 AM »

Quote from: Adam Shafran on May 06, 2012, 03:02:58 PM

oops tried to fix post and eneded up quoting myself...I wish I could remove posts sometimes! sorry!

I guess the only way right now to remove a post is to modify it and leave the whole thing blank?

JF · « **Reply #23 on:** May 09, 2012, 01:15:43 AM »

ASaffron and enduser
Can you guys ID these beetles that like to hang around the cherimoya flower? I caught them eating my avocado leaves tonight.

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #24 on:** May 09, 2012, 08:55:46 AM »

June Beetles, in the month of May?

hard to say because photo is blurry.

They wont cause wilt though...they aren't fusarium sp.

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Author Topic: Annona pollinator (Read 8493 times)