« Previous AbstractMaking a Better Home: Modulation of Plant Defensive Response by Brevipalpus Mites    Next AbstractBias to pollen odors is affected by early exposure and foraging experience »

Naturwissenschaften

Title:		Floral odor learning within the hive affects honeybees' foraging decisions
Author(s):		Arenas A; Fernandez VM; Farina WM;
Address:		"Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biologia Experimental, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellon II, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina"
Journal Title:		Naturwissenschaften
Year:		2007
Volume:		20061121
Issue:		3
Page Number:		218 - 222
DOI:		10.1007/s00114-006-0176-0
ISSN/ISBN:		0028-1042 (Print) 0028-1042 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Honeybees learn odor cues quickly and efficiently when visiting rewarding flowers. Memorization of these cues facilitates the localization and recognition of food sources during foraging flights. Bees can also use information gained inside the hive during social interactions with successful foragers. An important information cue that can be learned during these interactions is food odor. However, little is known about how floral odors learned in the hive affect later decisions of foragers in the field. We studied the effect of food scent on foraging preferences when this learning is acquired directly inside the hive. By using in-hive feeders that were removed 24 h before the test, we showed that foragers use the odor information acquired during a 3-day stimulation period with a scented solution during a food-choice situation outside the nest. This bias in food preference is maintained even 24 h after the replacement of all the hive combs. Thus, without being previously collected outside by foragers, food odors learned within the hive can be used during short-range foraging flights. Moreover, correct landings at a dual-choice device after replacing the storing combs suggests that long-term memories formed within the colony can be retrieved while bees search for food in the field"
Keywords:		"Animals Bees/*physiology Behavior, Animal Feeding Behavior Flowers *Honey *Learning *Odorants;"
Notes:		"MedlineArenas, Andres Fernandez, Vanesa M Farina, Walter M eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Germany 2006/11/23 Naturwissenschaften. 2007 Mar; 94(3):218-22. doi: 10.1007/s00114-006-0176-0. Epub 2006 Nov 21"