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The Pollinating Network of Pollinators and the Service Value of Pollination in Hanzhong City, China
by
, , and
Xuemei Chang
1,2,
Xiaofeng Yan
1,2,
Fengming Lv
1,2,
Ying Zhang
3,
Tom D. Breeze
4 and
Xiushan Li
1,2,* 1
Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
2
College of International Cooperation, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
3
College of Forestry Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100035, China
4
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy & Development, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2025, 16(12), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16121223
Submission received: 3 October 2025
/
Revised: 5 November 2025
/
Accepted: 27 November 2025
/
Published: 30 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bee Conservation: Behavior, Health and Pollination Ecology)
Simple Summary
This study investigated the pollinator resources, the pollination network of plants–insects, and the pollination service value in Hanzhong City, using random net capture and transect counting in the field. The results showed that Hanzhong City is rich in pollinator resources, with a total of 80 species of pollinators and 59 species of pollinating crops and wild nectar plants. The abundant pollinator resources provide sufficient pollination services for the production of local vegetables, fruits, and oil crops. The characteristics of the pollination networks are obvious, showing the structural characteristics of low connectivity, medium nesting, and low network specialization. In 2023, the pollination service value of pollinators in Hanzhong City was CNY 3524–4878 billion, accounting for 10.02–13.87% of the city’s agricultural output value of the year. This is higher than the global average. Suggestions for the protection of pollinators in Hanzhong City: Reduce the use of pesticide, support beekeeping, intercrop nectar plants, and rationally plant crops.
Abstract
Pollinating insects are the most important pollinators in nature; they pollinate vegetables, fruits, oil crops, and wild plants, so that crop yields can be increased, wild plants can live and reproduce, and human food security and ecosystem stability are maintained. To identify the pollination network of plants–insects and the pollination service value in Hanzhong City, the methods of random net capture and transect counting in field work were used. The agricultural statistical data from Hanzhong City in 2023 was combined in the analysis. The results showed that Hanzhong City is rich in pollinator resources, with a total of 80 species of pollinators and 59 species of pollinating crops and wild nectar plants. The abundant pollinator resources provide sufficient pollination services for the production of local vegetables, fruits, and oil crops. The characteristics of the pollination networks are obvious, showing the structural characteristics of low connectivity, medium nesting, and low network specialization. In 2023, the pollination service value of pollinators in Hanzhong City was CNY 3524–4878 billion, accounting for 10.02–13.87% of the city’s agricultural output value of the year. Suggestions for the protection of pollinators in Hanzhong City: Reduce the use of pesticide, support beekeeping, intercrop nectar plants, and rationally plant crops.
