Abstract
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an open pollinated crop and the world's fourth important source of edible oil. Two fields, one of them adjacent to an apiary with 40 hives, were sampled weekly for two months. A total of fifteen species of insect pollinators were recorded. Species of the order Hymenoptera were the most abundant (91%), followed by those of Lepidoptera (6%) and Diptera (3%). The relative abundance of four Apis species, i.e. Apis mellifera, A. dorsata, A. cerana and A. florea, varied on hourly and weekly basis. The peak densities of all honeybee species were recorded at 12.00 pm and 02:00 pm while minimum densities were recorded at 08:00 am and 04:00 pm. Apis mellifera was the most recorded honeybee species compared to other Apis spp. during the study. In both fields the differences were significant.