Flower-visiting Insects of Oil Palm in Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract Oil palm ( Elaeis guinensis ) is a plant originating from Africa and entered Indonesia in 1998. Most oil palm plantations are found in Sumatra and Kalimantan. However, oil palm plants can also grow in Java. The beetle Elaeidobius kamerunicus is considered the most effective pollinator in pollinating oil palm. So far, the existence of this insect has never been studied in the Central Java region. This study aimed to identify insects visiting oil palm flowers in Central Java. The study was conducted in the SEAT research plantation, Ungaran, Central Java for 3 months. The study used scan sampling techniques on anthesis male flowers and receptive females. Insects are caught using yellow sticky traps and also insect nets. The results showed that there are 6 orders of insects, with 10 families and 13 species as insects visiting oil palm flowers. Elaeidubius kamerunicus is the most abundant species and has developed well in research plantation in Central Java.