When do honey bee guards reject their former nestmates after swarming?

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "When do honey bee guards reject their former nestmates after swarming?"

Transcription

1 Insectes soc. 49 (2002) /02/ $ /0 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2002 Insectes Sociaux Research article When do honey bee guards reject their former nestmates after swarming? M. Beekman 1, 4, J.N.M. Calis 2, B.P. Oldroyd 3 and F.L.W. Ratnieks 1 1 Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield University, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom 2 Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, POB 8031, 6700 EH Wageningen, the Netherlands 3 School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, A12, Sydney NSW, Australia 4 Author for correspondence and present address: Schools of Biological Sciences & Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, A12, Sydney NSW, Australia. mbeekman@bio.usyd.edu.au Received 25 April 2001; revised 3 August 2001; accepted 29 October Summary. Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) reproduce by swarming wherein the mother queen leaves the nest with approximately two thirds of her workers (the prime swarm). Several daughter queens are raised in the original nest, and these start to emerge shortly after the first swarm departs. One or several of these daughter queens may then leave the original colony sequentially with smaller afterswarms. Here we study the change in acceptance of former nestmates after colony reproduction using free-flying honey bee colonies. We used a total of four colonies each of which we divided to make four new colonies: two artificial swarms (the offspring colonies) and two colonies that mimic established ( old ) colonies after swarming. The way the original (mother) colonies were divided allowed us to determine the relative importance of wax comb on cue divergence. Half of the divisions contained the original wax combs from the mother colony whereas the other divisions were not provided with comb requiring them to construct their own. We then tested the acceptance of former nestmates by introducing foragers at the hive entrances and observing the behaviour of guard bees. Our results did not show a consistent change in acceptance of former nestmates after swarming. In two out of four replicates, workers originating from the colonies that contained the original wax combs were rejected by guards from the initially comb-less colonies. This suggests that comb wax plays an important role in nestmate recognition. However, the remaining two replicates did not show a response; all former nesmates were still accepted two weeks after artificial swarming. Key words: honey bees, Apis mellifera, swarming, nestmate recognition. Introduction Intraspecific recognition occurs in many contexts and ranges from recognition of self to recognition of a potential mating partner (see Sherman et al. (1997) for a review). In social insects one major recognition context is discrimination between nestmates and non-nestmates. This context is important because in many species intruder non-nestmate conspecifics can cause harm during territorial disputes (eg African weaver ants Oecophylla longinoda: Hölldobler and Wilson, 1978), by cannibalism (Formica polyctena: Driessen et al., 1984) or slave capture (Myrmecocystus mimicus: Hölldobler, 1981). In the honey bee Apis mellifera non-nestmates rob stored honey and this can kill the victim colony (Winston, 1987). In the honey bee, guard bees are primarily responsible for preventing robbing (Butler and Free, 1952). Guard bees patrol the nest entrance, inspect entering bees, and exclude non-nestmates (Butler and Free, 1952) using odour cues (Breed et al., 1992). Downs and Ratnieks (1999) studied the acceptance of bees when these bees were unrelated to the guard bees but fostered in the guard bees colony. The results showed that workers that shared the same adult environment as a guard were equally likely to be accepted irrespective of whether they were related to the guard or not. This shows that guards use recognition cues that entering workers have acquired from the adult nest environment when discriminating between nestmates and non-nestmates. Downs and Ratniek s study also showed that recognition cues are not only acquired during the adult stage, but can be lost and reacquired during adult life. The most likely explanation is that bees acquire odours from the wax combs and thus that cues used in nestmate recognition are environmental. However, there could still be a genetic component, but which is acquired from the common nest environment rather than being derived from the worker s own genotype (Breed et al., 1995a).

2 Insectes soc. Vol. 49, 2002 Research article 57 In this study we investigated the changes in nestmate recognition after reproductive swarming. Honey bees reproduce by swarming wherein the mother-queen leaves the colony with approximately two thirds of the workers while one or several daughter queens are reared in the established ( old ) colony. Swarms often nest within m of the old colony (Jaycox and Parise, 1980; Jaycox and Parise, 1981; Schmidt, 1995; Schneider, 1995) and this may lead to competition between the newly founded (swarm) colony and old colony. Therefore, it is expected that cue divergence should occur and former nestmates will be rejected at some time after swarming. Because relatedness between the old and newly founded (offspring) colonies is initially high, guards can only use environmental cues to discriminate between nestmates and former nestmates after swarming. Previous work (Breed et al., 1998) has shown that the rejection of former nestmates coincides with the production of wax in the offspring colony. Breed et al. (1998) used foragers that were kept in cardboard cups for h with pieces of comb that were newly built by the swarm. These foragers were then brought into contact with guards from the original ( old ) colony. The results of these laboratory tests showed that under these conditions guards started to reject their former nestmates (i.e. bees from the swarm) three to seven days after swarming. How do we explain such a rapid divergence of nestmate recognition cues? Bees in a swarm are initially of the same genetic mixture as those in the old colony. If nestmate recognition cues are based on wax volatiles, it could be that odours picked up during foraging are incorporated into newly-built wax making the wax of the newly founded swarm colony different from the old wax present in the mother colony. However, floral oils do not appear to have an effect on the acceptance rate of intruder bees (Downs et al., 2000) thus making it unlikely that the foraging environment has a large influence on the odour of the wax. However, other odours, like odours of larval faeces, can also be incorporated in wax or the smell of wax may simply differ when wax ages, thus changing the odour even if the wax is built by the same bees. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the acceptance of former nestmates following reproductive swarming. We used free-flying colonies, actual guards at hive entrances and workers that developed naturally in their natal colony. In this way the workers had the opportunity to acquire a natural suite of recognition cues and not only those cues derived from wax. We used colonies that had built their own combs and then created artificial swarms by moving the mother-queen into a new (comb-less) hive with a portion of her workers (analogous to the prime swarm). We made a second comb-less colony by introducing a new (daughter) queen, thus representing an after-swarm. These two colonies had to build their own wax combs and represent the offspring colonies. We then divided the original combs into two and moved them into new hives each with workers and an emerging daughter-queen thus mimicking two recently swarmed old colonies. Although this is an unnatural situation because normally there is only one colony with the old combs with brood, we did this so we could determine the effect of the presence of the same wax comb on nestmate recognition. During a period of 13 days we then tested the acceptance of bees transferred from the old colonies into the newly founded (offspring) colonies and vice versa to determine when former nestmates are no longer accepted by guard bees. We predicted the following. If guard bees use cues that are solely or predominantly heritable, one would expect that former nestmates would not be rejected for 3 4 weeks after swarming. Rejection would only occur after brood produced by the daughter queen matured to forager age, thereby creating genetic differences between the guards and intruders. Our experiment lasted 13 days and thus ended well before this genetic divergence could have occurred. Thus if genetically based cues are used for nestmate recognition, all former nestmates should be equally acceptable to guards of all divided colonies and one would not expect rejection of former nestmates to occur in our study. On the other hand, if guards use environmentally based cues, cue divergence should occur much faster. If comb wax plays a pivotal role in nestmate recognition, as suggested by previous authors (Breed et al., 1988, 1995a, b, 1998) we would expect that guards of the colonies that comprised combs from the mother colony (the old colonies) should continue to accept each other s foragers after swarming. Similarly, workers originating from the colonies that had to build their own wax (the offspring colonies) would not reject each other. However, workers originating from colonies with the old wax combs would be expected to be rejected by guards of the colonies that build their own wax combs as soon as new wax has been constructed and vice versa. Materials and methods Study colonies Four honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies of mixed European race were studied. Due to frequent beekeeper manipulations, domestic honey bee colonies rarely contain combs made by the bees present in the colony. To obtain colonies that only contained combs made by the bees in that colony we manipulated our colonies so that all existing combs were replaced by newly-built ones. To do this we sequentially removed the existing combs and replaced them with empty frames in which bees built their own new combs, in the two months before data were collected. This manipulation was necessary to avoid the possibility of cue contamination by the use of wax combs made by other colonies (Breed et al., 1988; Downs and Ratnieks; 1999). This procedure also closely matched natural conditions were bees only have wax comb built by their own colony. The study was conducted twice, once in August 2000 in Laren, the Netherlands (trial 1) and once in January 2001 at Pearl Beach, Australia (trial 2). Both experiments were conducted in mid summer. Each trial used 2 colonies. Experimental design Prior to splitting, each mother (original) colony had approximately 20,000 40,000 bees. Each mother colony was divided into 4 colonies (Fig. 1). Two of the divided colonies had 5 combs from the mother colony (colonies A and B; the old colonies). The other two colonies (colonies C and D; the offspring colonies) had to build their own combs. One of these comb-less colonies, equivalent to a prime swarm, was

3 58 M. Beekman et al. Nestmate recognition in honey bees as rejection. When the introduced bee was inspected (licked and antennated by guards) and allowed to enter the nest, or remained on the entrance for five minutes without being rejected, this was classed as acceptance. The hives had a standard long bottom board that extended approximately 5 cm beyond the hive entrance to facilitate bee introductions and guard observations. Each colony received 5 foragers from each of the other colonies per day. In addition, 5 nestmates (NM) and 5 non-nestmates (NN: originating from an unrelated colony) were introduced, resulting in a total of 20 (trial 1) or 25 (trial 2) introductions per colony per day. One (trial 1) or 3 (trial 2) days prior to dividing the mother colony and on the day the artificial swarms were made (day 0), 10 nestmates and 10 non-nestmates were introduced to determine the levels of nestmate and non-nestmate acceptance. All bioassays were conducted blind, so that the observer was unaware of the origin of the introduced bees. A laboratory study (Breed et al., 1998) has shown that the occurrence of cue divergence coincided with the building of new wax by the swarms. Bees will start to build new combs as soon as they are in a comb-less hive although it will take a few days before they actually have some new comb built. In our study the trials lasted 11 (trial 1) and 13 (trial 2) days after the mother colonies were divided to ensure that the bees had built a sufficient amount of wax to show an effect of wax odour on cue divergence. Data analysis Figure 1. How each mother colony was divided. Colonies A and B represent the old colonies; colonies C and D the offspring colonies. Bees originating from the same division (nestmates) plus bees from the other three divisions (former nestmates) were introduced (arrows with bee icons) into each colony after dividing (only bees introduced and originating from colony A are shown here). Virgin queens were grafted from the mother colonies and reared in an unrelated colony. No combs means that the colony had to build its own combs. Note that in trial 1 the C colonies did not exist given the mother-queen (colony D). The other three colonies were given virgin daughter queens of the mother queen. These virgin queens had been reared in separate queen rearing colonies from larvae grafted from the 4 appropriate mother (original) colony using standard techniques, and then matured after emergence for 8 days in the queen-rearing colony in cages. After division, colonies were moved to a new apiary to prevent the bees from leaving their hives in search of their original colony. These new apiaries were approximately 7 (the Netherlands) and 90 km (Australia) away from the original apiaries. In trial 1 the hives that contained no combs and a virgin daughterqueen (C colonies), were rapidly abandoned by the workers. Therefore, trial 1 had only 3 colonies per replicate. To prevent this happening again in trial 2, we caged all the virgin queens for 3 days after introduction. At the end of the experiment the colonies were opened and checked for the presence of a laying queen and brood, and to estimate the amount of comb built (for the C and D colonies only) and the number of adult bees. Bioassays Acceptance of introduced bees by guards was measured using a standard bioassay (Downs and Ratnieks, 1999) in which returning foragers are collected, placed in a vial and chilled in ice and then placed at the entrance of a bee hive. Before being placed at the hive entrance the introduced bees were allowed to warm up so that they could walk but not fly. The behaviour of guards towards the introduced bee was then observed. When the introduced bee was bitten or stung this was classed Acceptances of non-nestmates and nestmates by guards prior to colony division were compared using chi square tests. Differences in rates of acceptance among the colonies after making the artificial swarms were compared using two-tailed Fisher exact tests rather than chi square tests because of the low numbers of introduced bees per colony. Because of multiple comparisons, Bonferroni corrections were applied (Rice, 1989) for an overall level of significance of 5%. Results Acceptance of nestmates and unrelated non-nestmates Table 1 shows that prior to the experimental manipulation, all mother colonies were able to discriminate between nestmates (NM) and non-nestmates (NN). Across both trials, 91% of nestmates and 25% of non-nestmates were accepted before the colonies were divided. The difference in acceptance between nestmates and non-nestmates was statistically significant for all four colonies (chi square tests, P 0.001). However, after division discrimination between nestmates and non-nestmates was not as strong: in trial 1 78% of nestmates and 59% of non-nestmates were accepted, in trial 2 76% of nestmates and 56% of non-nestmates (data pooled). Although in only 4 of the 14 colonies the difference between nestmate and non-nestmate acceptance was statistically significant (Table 2, chi square test), in each colony more nestmates than non-nestmates were accepted. Acceptance of former nestmates We were interested in the change in rates of acceptance of former nestmates after artificial swarming. To determine whether the rate of acceptance changed during the course of

4 Insectes soc. Vol. 49, 2002 Research article 59 Table 1. Proportions of nestmates (NM) and unrelated non-nestmates (NN) accepted by entrance guards before dividing the mother colonies. Assessments were made 1 day prior to colony division (day 1, trial 1), 3 days prior to colony division (day 3; trial 2) and on the day the divisions were made (day 0). The number of bees introduced are given in parentheses. The difference in acceptance between nestmates and nonnestmates was significantly different for all colonies (chi square test, P 0.001) Colony Origin Day Proportion of bees accepted (n) Trial 1 1 NM (10) (10) NN (8) (10) 2 NM (10) (10) NN (10) (10) Pooled: NM 0.9 NN 0.3 Trial 2 3 NM (10) (10) NN (6) (10) 4 NM (9) (10) NN (9) (9) Pooled: NM 0.9 NN 0.2 the experiment, we pooled the data from the first two days after dividing and compared this with the data of the last two days the trials were performed (days 10 and 11 for trial 1, days 12 and 13 for trial 2). This was done for each of the 14 colonies. In all four replicates there was no significant difference in the acceptance rates of bees originating from the A colonies by guards from the B colonies (both with half of the original combs) and vice versa (two-tailed Fisher exact test, P 0.05, Table 3). This analysis shows that workers from the A and B colonies had not diverged in terms of their accep- tance rates during the course of the experiment. Therefore, from these colonies data were pooled in subsequent analyses. Similarly, bees originating from the C colonies (virgin queen, no combs) were accepted by the D colonies (mother queen, no combs) and vice versa and therefore these data were also pooled (only for colonies 3 and 4 because colonies 1 and 2 did not have a C colony; Table 3). In artificial swarms derived from colonies 1 and 3, the rate of acceptance of foragers from the natal comb colonies (A and B) into non-natal comb colonies (C and/or D) declined over time suggesting that the cues used by bees for nestmate recognition diverged during the experimental period. No such change was evident in the swarms derived from colonies 2 and 4 (Fig. 2, Table 4). Although we used a twotailed Fisher exact test to test for statistically significant differences (see Table 4), we have plotted regression lines in Figure 2 to show the change in acceptance. Status of the colonies at end of experiment The status of the colonies (number of combs built, number of bees present, presence of young queen and whether she was laying) were assessed at the end of the experiment (Table 5). All colonies were of approximately equal size except colony 1D which had twice as many bees compared with the other colonies (Table 5). This was probably because bees from the original fourth division in trial 1 (C: no combs and a new queen) joined this colony after dividing. Colony 4B (trial 2) lost its queen during the experiment as indicated by the presence of emergency queen cells. Colony 4C (trial 2) lost its queen immediately after the colony was made. To keep the bees in this colony, artificial queen pheromone containing 9ODA (Bee Boost) was added before the bioassay was started. Discussion The aim of our study was to investigate changes in acceptance of former nestmates after colony division by swarming and the effect of the origin of wax comb on this. Our results Trial 1 Proportion accepted: Trial 2 Proportion accepted: Colony 1 NM NN P Colony 3 NM NN P A 0.71 (34) 0.63 (35) 0.49 A 0.79 (43) 0.64 (39) 0.13 B 0.71 (34) 0.61 (33) 0.39 B 0.77 (43) 0.32 (44) 0.00 D 0.60 (35) 0.46 (35) 0.05 C 0.74 (43) 0.67 (45) 0.43 D 0.66 (44) 0.48 (40) 0.09 Colony 2 Colony 4 A 0.77 (35) 0.74 (35) 0.78 A 0.93 (44) 0.60 (45) 0.00 B 0.94 (34) 0.74 (35) 0.02 B 0.71 (45) 0.60 (40) 0.28 D 0.89 (35) 0.37 (35) 0.00 C 0.69 (45) 0.60 (45) 0.38 D 0.75 (40) 0.58 (38) 0.11 pooled pooled Table 2. Proportion of nestmates (NM) and unrelated non-nestmates (NN) accepted by guard bees after artificial swarming. Data from all days following swarming have been pooled (11 days for trial 1, 13 days for trial 2). The number of bees introduced are given in parentheses. P-values are based on chi square tests

5 60 M. Beekman et al. Nestmate recognition in honey bees Table 3. Comparison of acceptance rates of bees originating from the A (C) colonies by the B (D) colonies at the beginning (first two days pooled) and the end (last two days pooled) of the experimental period. Colonies A and B each contained half of the combs from the mother colony, colonies C and D had to build their own combs. The number of bees introduced are given in parentheses. P-values are based on twotailed Fisher exact tests Colony A into B B into A C into D D into C P P P P (20) 0.37 (20) (20) 1.00 (19) (20) 0.71 (20) 0.01 (24) 1.00 (20) (20) 1.00 (20) 1.00 (20) 0.58 (20) Table 4. Acceptance rates of bees originating from the combined A+B colonies (with old combs) by the combined (C+)D colonies (with new combs) at the beginning (first two days pooled) and the end (last two days pooled) of the experimental period. The number of bees introduced are given in parentheses. Shaded cells are statistically significant results (two-tailed Fisher s exact test, a after Bonferonni correction: 0.006). Acceptance rates are presented in Figure 2 Colony A+B into D D into A+B A+B into C+D C+D into A+B P P P P (40) (40) (40) (38) (81) (80) (80) (78) Table 5. Status of the colonies at the end of the experiment number of number of young queen young queen Colony combs built bees present? laying? 1A 4500 y n 1B 4500 y y 1D old queen 2A 4500 y y 2B 4500 y n 2D old queen 3A 4500 y y 3B 4500 y y 3C y y 3D old queen 4A 4500 y y 4B 4500 n* 4C n** 4D old queen Figure 2. Acceptance of bees originating from colonies A+B (with old combs) introduced into colony D (for colonies 1 and 2, where there was no C colony) or into colonies C+D (with newly build combs) (for colonies 3 and 4). Lines represent the linear regression to show the change in response (dotted for A+B into (C+)D; undotted for (C+)D into A+B) * emergency queen cells present. ** Bee Boost added before start of bioassays. suggest that comb wax plays an important role in developing nestmate recognition cues. In artificial swarms derived from colonies 1 and 3, workers originating from the offspring colonies C and D (i.e. the colonies that had built their own wax combs) were rejected by guards from the old colonies A and B which contained the old combs. In addition, workers originating from colonies 3C and 3D were rejected by guards from colonies 3A and 3B (Table 4). This indicates that the presence of the same wax affects acceptance by guard bees. However, this did not always occur: swarm colonies derived from colonies 2 and 4 did not show any change at all, i.e. all former nestmates were accepted by guards. The discrimination between nestmates and unrelated non-nestmates was less pronounced after the colonies were divided

6 Insectes soc. Vol. 49, 2002 Research article 61 (Table 2). This may have been due to the decreased colony size after dividing and could explain why we did not find a change in 2 of the 4 replicates. It is not surprising that comb wax plays an important role in nestmate recognition. Both honey bee comb wax (Hepburn, 1986; Tulloch, 1980) and the honey bee cuticle surface (Page et al., 1991) are composed primarily of hydrocarbons and this facilitates rapid cue transfer from wax to cuticular surface (Breed et al., 1995b). Comb wax is also a plausible source of colony recognition cues because the chemical composition of wax is genetically variable (Breed et al., 1995b). This means that the chemical composition of comb wax varies among colonies and workers that acquire cues from wax will be uniformly labelled with a colony-specific cue. However, our results from colonies 1 and 3 suggest that differences in wax odour are not solely determined by the genotype of the bees that produce it. Our results of 2 of 4 replicates where guards rejected their former nestmates when they originated from colonies that did not contain the same wax combs, suggest that other odours, for instance odours acquired during foraging or odour of larval faeces, are also incorporated into wax and these odours can be used as nestmate recognition cues. Alternatively, the odour of wax may change as it ages, resulting in old wax containing different odours compared with new wax, even if the bees that built the wax are genetically similar. Using environmental cues instead of heritable cues enables honey bee colonies to adapt quickly to changing conditions. However, when environmentally acquired differences between individuals are low (Greenberg, 1979) or minimised artificially (Breed et al., 1985), heritable cues can be used to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates. Under these conditions environmental cues probably provide insufficient information to allow discrimination between relatives or conspecifics and heritable cues are used instead. Our findings that in half of our replicates there was no change in acceptance after artificial swarming may suggest that, at least in some cases, heritable cues are important for nestmate recognition. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Michael Duncan (Australia) for beekeeping assistance, Inbuzz (the Netherlands) for letting us use their equipment and the School of Biological Sciences for the use of the Commelin Research Station. M.B. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the research network Social Evolution of the Universities of Århus, Firenze, Keele, Sheffield, Uppsala, Würzburg and the ETH Zürich, financed by the European Commission via the Training and Mobility of Researchers (TMR) programme. References Breed, M.D., L. Butler and T.M. Stiller, Kin discrimination by workers in genetically mixed groups. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 82: Breed, M.D., J.H. Fewell and K.R. Williams, Comb wax mediates the acquisition of nest-mate recognition cues in honey bees. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85: Breed, M.D., M.F. Garry, A.N. Pearce, B.E. Hibbard, L.B. Bjostad and R.E. Page Jr, 1995a. The role of wax comb in honey bee nestmate recognition. Anim. Behav., 50: Breed, M.D., E.A. Leger, A.N. Pearce and Y.J. Wang, Comb wax effects on the ontogeny of honey bee nestmate recognition. Anim. Behav., 55: Breed, M.D., R.E. Page Jr, B.E. Hibbart and L.B. Bjostad, 1995b. Interfamily variation in comb wax hydrocarbons produced by honey bees. J. Chem. Ecol., 21: Breed, M.D., T.A. Smith and A. Torres, Role of guard honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in nestmate discrimination and replacement of removed guards. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 85: Butler, C.G. and J.B. Free, The behaviour of worker honeybees at the hive entrance. Behav., 4: Downs, S.G. and F.L.W. Ratnieks, Recognition of conspecifics by honeybee guards uses nonheritable cues acquired in the adult stage. Anim. Behav., 58: Downs, S.G., F.L.W. Ratnieks, S.J. Jefferies and H.E. Rigby, The role of floral oils in the nestmate recognition system of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Apidologie, 31: Driessen, G.J.J., A.T. Van Raalte and G.J. De Bruyn, Cannibalism in the red wood ant, Formica polyctena (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Oecologia, 63: Greenberg, L., Genetic component of bee odor in kin recognition. Science, 206: Hepburn, H.R., Honey Bees and Wax. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 205 pp. Hölldobler, B., Foraging and spatiotemporal territories in the honey ant Myrmecocystus mimicus Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol., 9: Hölldobler, B. and E.O. Wilson, The multiple recruitment system of the African weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol., 3: Jaycox, E.R. and S.G. Parise, Homesite selection by Italian honey bee swarms, Apis mellifera ligustica (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc., 53: Jaycox, E.R. and S.G. Parise, Homesite selection by swarms of black-bodied honey bees, Apis mellifera caucasica and A. m. carnica (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc., 54: Page, R.E., R.A. Metcalf, R.L. Metcalf, E.H. Erickson and R.L. Lampman, Extractable hydrocarbons and kin recognition in honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). J. Chem. Ecol., 17: Rice, W.R., Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution, 43: Schmidt, J.O., Dispersal distance and direction of reproductive European honey bee swarms (Hymenoptera: Apidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc., 68: Schneider, S.S., Swarm movement patterns inferred from waggle dance activity of the neotropical African honey bee in Costa Rica. Apidologie, 26: Sherman, P.W., H.K. Reeve and D.W. Pfennig, Recognition systems. In: Behavioural Ecology. An Evolutionary Approach (Krebs, J.R. and N.B. Davies, Eds.), Oxford: Blackwell Science: Tulloch, A.P., Beeswax composition and analysis. Bee World, 61: Winston, M.L., The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA. 281 pp.

Intracolonial nepotism during colony fissioning in honey bees?

Intracolonial nepotism during colony fissioning in honey bees? Intracolonial nepotism during colony fissioning in honey bees? Juliana Rangel Co-authors: Heather Mattila, Thomas Seeley Department of Neurobiology and Behavior Cornell University Apimondia Conference,

More information

Bee Colony Activities Throughout The Year

Bee Colony Activities Throughout The Year Bee Colony Activities Throughout The Year Written by Khalil Hamdan Apeldoorn The Netherlands A honeybee gathering nectar from a flower. Photo source: forestwander.com Bee collecting pollen. Photo source:

More information

In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants

In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants J. Paalhaar, W.J. Boot, J.J.M. van der Steen* & J.N.M. Calis Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, PO Box 803, 6700

More information

Rearing Honeybee Queens in, Apis Mellifera L. Colonies During the Activity Season of Oriental Wasps Vespa Orientalis L

Rearing Honeybee Queens in, Apis Mellifera L. Colonies During the Activity Season of Oriental Wasps Vespa Orientalis L International Journal of Agricultural Technology 2016 Vol. 12(4):667-674 Available online http://www.ijat-aatsea.com ISSN 2630-0192 (Online) Rearing Honeybee Queens in, Apis Mellifera L. Colonies During

More information

Honey Bees QUB Green Champions 9 th April

Honey Bees QUB Green Champions 9 th April Honey Bees QUB Green Champions 9 th April 2014 http://www.qub.ac.uk/staff/area/bees/ http://belfastbees.wordpress.com/ Contents The Beekeeping Year Inside the hive Outside the hive Swarming Discussion

More information

Honey Bees. QUB CCRCB 11 th January

Honey Bees. QUB CCRCB 11 th January Honey Bees QUB CCRCB 11 th January 2018 http://www.qub.ac.uk/staff/area/bees/ http://belfastbees.wordpress.com/ http://belfastbees.wordpress.com/ Contents The Beekeeping Year Inside the hive Outside the

More information

Bee Behavior. Summary of an article by. Stephen Taber III from Beekeeping in the United States

Bee Behavior. Summary of an article by. Stephen Taber III from Beekeeping in the United States Bee Behavior Summary of an article by Stephen Taber III from Beekeeping in the United States Bees Sense Organs: Vision Each compound eye is spherical in shape and comprised of some 6,300 cone-shaped facets

More information

Swarming Biology of Honey Bees

Swarming Biology of Honey Bees Swarming Biology of Honey Bees Jeff Harris Extension/Research Apiculturist Department Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology & Plant Pathology Mississippi State University, MS 39762 Reproductive Swarms

More information

Practical 5 SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF HONEY BEES

Practical 5 SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF HONEY BEES Practical 5 SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF HONEY BEES Aim: To understand communication system of a honey bee colony. Introduction Among different insect orders, only 8 have been recognized by insect taxonomists which

More information

VARIABILITY OF CHEMOSENSORY STIMULI WITHIN HONEYBEE (Apis mellifera) COLONIES: Differential Conditioning Assay for Discrimination Cues

VARIABILITY OF CHEMOSENSORY STIMULI WITHIN HONEYBEE (Apis mellifera) COLONIES: Differential Conditioning Assay for Discrimination Cues Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1988 VARIABILITY OF CHEMOSENSORY STIMULI WITHIN HONEYBEE (Apis mellifera) COLONIES: Differential Conditioning Assay for Discrimination Cues WAYNE M. GETZ, 1

More information

Available online at ScienceDirect. Procedia Computer Science 20 (2013 ) 90 95

Available online at  ScienceDirect. Procedia Computer Science 20 (2013 ) 90 95 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Procedia Computer Science 20 (2013 ) 90 95 Complex Adaptive Systems, Publication 3 Cihan H. Dagli, Editor in Chief Conference Organized by Missouri

More information

Responses of queenright and queenless workers of Apis cerana to 9-keto-2(E)-decenoic acid, a pheromonal constituent of the mandibular gland

Responses of queenright and queenless workers of Apis cerana to 9-keto-2(E)-decenoic acid, a pheromonal constituent of the mandibular gland Responses of queenright and queenless workers of Apis cerana to 9-keto-(E)-decenoic acid, a pheromonal constituent of the mandibular gland Ken Tan Zheng-Wei Wang Hua Li Ming-Xian Yang Christian W. W. Pirk

More information

BASIC BEE BIOLOGY. Tammy Horn, KY State Apiarist

BASIC BEE BIOLOGY. Tammy Horn, KY State Apiarist BASIC BEE BIOLOGY Tammy Horn, KY State Apiarist THE HONEY BEE COLONY Regardless of the race of bees, the colony will have three castes: One Queen (female) Workers (female), numbers depend upon season Drones

More information

Exploited superorganisms how life history shapes the reproductive strategies of honeybees

Exploited superorganisms how life history shapes the reproductive strategies of honeybees Essay Introduction to Advanced Biology M.Sc. Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution von Jana Bundschuh Exploited superorganisms how life history shapes the reproductive strategies of honeybees Not all honeybees

More information

Latency time and absence of group effect: two examples

Latency time and absence of group effect: two examples Latency time and absence of group effect: two examples Jean-Louis Deneubourg 1, Eric Bonabeau 2, Guy Theraulaz 3 (1) Unit of Theoretical Behavioral Ecology, Service de Chimie-Physique, CP 231, Université

More information

Peter Dutton. 28 August Halesworth& District

Peter Dutton. 28 August Halesworth& District Peter Dutton 28 August 2014 Halesworth& District Bees Hymenoptera - 150,000+ species Sawflies, Wasps, Bees, Ants, Bees - 20,000+ species Most solitary, a few social Honey Bee - The only one which produces

More information

Honey Bee Biology Workshop. The Queen. The Drone

Honey Bee Biology Workshop. The Queen. The Drone Honey Bee Biology Workshop 1. The bee colony 2. Behavioral sequence of workers 3. Worker-queen differentiation 4. Honey bee dances 5. Chemical communications The Queen Longevity: 1-3 years 1. The mother

More information

Abstract. Introduction

Abstract. Introduction NEW METHOD FOR RAISING QUEENS Hossein Yeganehrad Caspian Apiaries P.O. Box 16058 617, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, V3M 6W6 radbees@hotmail.com Paper 138, Oral Presentation XXXVIIIth Apimondia

More information

Reproductive biology of the Cape honeybee: A critique of Beekman et al.

Reproductive biology of the Cape honeybee: A critique of Beekman et al. A critique of Asexually Produced Cape Honeybee Queens (Apis mellifera capensis) Reproduce Sexually authors: MADELEINE BEEKMAN, MICHAEL H. ALLSOPP, JULIANNE LIM, FRANCES GOUDIE, AND BENJAMIN P. OLDROYD

More information

Eusocial species. Eusociality. Phylogeny showing only eusociality Eusocial insects. Eusociality: Cooperation to the extreme

Eusocial species. Eusociality. Phylogeny showing only eusociality Eusocial insects. Eusociality: Cooperation to the extreme Eusociality: Cooperation to the extreme Groups form colonies with reproductive and worker castes. Eusociality has evolved most often in insects: Ants Eusocial species Honeybees Termites Wasps Phylogeny

More information

Cooperation. Main points for today. How can altruism evolve? Group living vs. cooperation. Sociality-nocooperation. and cooperationno-sociality

Cooperation. Main points for today. How can altruism evolve? Group living vs. cooperation. Sociality-nocooperation. and cooperationno-sociality Cooperation Why is it surprising and how does it evolve Cooperation Main points for today Sociality, cooperation, mutualism, altruism - definitions Kin selection Hamilton s rule, how to calculate r Group

More information

28 3 Insects Slide 1 of 44

28 3 Insects Slide 1 of 44 1 of 44 Class Insecta contains more species than any other group of animals. 2 of 44 What Is an Insect? What Is an Insect? Insects have a body divided into three parts head, thorax, and abdomen. Three

More information

Activity: Honey Bee Adaptation Grade Level: Major Emphasis: Major Curriculum Area: Related Curriculum Areas: Program Indicator: Student Outcomes:

Activity: Honey Bee Adaptation Grade Level: Major Emphasis: Major Curriculum Area: Related Curriculum Areas: Program Indicator: Student Outcomes: Activity: Honey Bee Adaptation Grade Level: Grade 5 Major Emphasis: Invertebrates and Their Environments Major Curriculum Area: Science Related Curriculum Areas: Refer to Outdoor Education Curriculum Matrix

More information

Chemical signals: What is one thing in common between a colony & a human society?

Chemical signals: What is one thing in common between a colony & a human society? Honey bee pheromones: Biology and relevance to beekeeping What is one thing in common between a colony & a human society? Society: a coherent entity consisted of many individuals To maintain coherence

More information

CORRELATIVE ANALYSES OF BROOD RATIO AND ROYAL JELLY PRODUCTION

CORRELATIVE ANALYSES OF BROOD RATIO AND ROYAL JELLY PRODUCTION CORRELATIVE ANALYSES OF BROOD RATIO AND ROYAL JELLY PRODUCTION Dr. Li Jianke Zhengzhou College of Animal Husbandry Zhengzhou 450008 Henan China Tel: +86 371 5644923 lijianke@371.net An experiment was conducted

More information

Pheromones by Ellen Miller November 2015

Pheromones by Ellen Miller November 2015 Pheromones by Ellen Miller November 2015 Greek word pherein to carry Greek word hormone to stimulate A released chemical that triggers a social response in members of the same species The chemical is transmitted

More information

SC741 W12: Division of Labor Part I: Fixed- and Variable- Threshold Algorithms

SC741 W12: Division of Labor Part I: Fixed- and Variable- Threshold Algorithms SC741 W12: Division of Labor Part I: Fixed- and Variable- Threshold Algorithms Outline Division of labor in natural systems Ants Bees, wasps Models and mechanisms Fixed-threshold mechanisms Variable-threshold

More information

Environmental signals

Environmental signals Environmental signals Why are environmental signals rare? Pp 632-635 Resource recruitment signals Costs and benefits Vertebrates and social insects Predator detection signals Types Patterns of usage Intertrophic

More information

Newey, Philip Simon (2009) Colony mate recognition in the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. PhD thesis, James Cook University.

Newey, Philip Simon (2009) Colony mate recognition in the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. PhD thesis, James Cook University. This file is part of the following reference: Newey, Philip Simon (2009) Colony mate recognition in the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available

More information

SYMPOSIUM Student Journal of Science & Math. Volume 2 Issue 1

SYMPOSIUM Student Journal of Science & Math. Volume 2 Issue 1 SYMPOSIUM Student Journal of Science & Math Volume 2 Issue 1 biology 117 B82.731 OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING IN EUSOCIAL INSECTS Background A RESEARCH PROPOSAL by Avity Norman Ants (order Hymenoptera, family

More information

Searching for the egg-marking signal in honeybees

Searching for the egg-marking signal in honeybees Journal of Negative Results Ecology & Evolutionary Biology vol. 2: 1 9 Helsinki, 9 February 2005 ISSN 1459-4625 http://www.jnr-eeb.org/ Searching for the egg-marking signal in honeybees Stephen J. Martin

More information

Submitted to Biology Letters. Patterns of split sex ratio in ants have multiple evolutionary causes based on different within-colony conflicts

Submitted to Biology Letters. Patterns of split sex ratio in ants have multiple evolutionary causes based on different within-colony conflicts Patterns of split sex ratio in ants have multiple evolutionary causes based on different within-colony conflicts Journal: Biology Letters Manuscript ID: draft Article Type: Research Date Submitted by the

More information

THE EVOLUTION AND ONTOGENY OF NESTMATE RECOGNITION IN SOCIAL WASPS

THE EVOLUTION AND ONTOGENY OF NESTMATE RECOGNITION IN SOCIAL WASPS Ann. Rev. Entomol. 1986.31:43154 Copyright 1986 by Annual Reviews Inc. All rights reserved THE EVOLUTION AND ONTOGENY OF NESTMATE RECOGNITION IN SOCIAL WASPS George J. Gamboa Department of Biological Sciences,

More information

Imprinting and kin recognition

Imprinting and kin recognition Imprinting and kin recognition Imprinting Konrad Lorenz Filial imprinting Critical period Sensitive period Experimental approaches Hours after hatching precocial altricial Filial imprinting Multiple cues

More information

split into two groups: a control group and a treatment group. Each beekeeper must have a

split into two groups: a control group and a treatment group. Each beekeeper must have a Colony assessments The project is beginning this May and lasting through October 2015. Colonies will be split into two groups: a control group and a treatment group. Each beekeeper must have a minimum

More information

the European Honeybee

the European Honeybee the European Honeybee Queen 1 queen in every hive the only fertile female in the hive lives 2 to 10 years longer than other bees perform every task in and out of the hive sterile females live for 28 to

More information

Biology of the Colony. Dr. Deborah Delaney

Biology of the Colony. Dr. Deborah Delaney Biology of the Colony Dr. Deborah Delaney Eusociality Photograph Alex Wild 2004 Photograph Alex Wild 2003 Eusocial: True Sociality Found mainly in two orders: Hymenoptera (some bees and wasps, all ants)

More information

Association between caste and genotype in the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae)

Association between caste and genotype in the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae) Australian Journal of Entomology (2003) 42, 1 5 Association between caste and genotype in the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt (Isoptera: Mastotermitidae) Michael A D Goodisman and Ross H Crozier*

More information

Comparative study of the hygienic behavior of Carniolan and Africanized honey bees directed towards grouped versus isolated dead brood cells

Comparative study of the hygienic behavior of Carniolan and Africanized honey bees directed towards grouped versus isolated dead brood cells Comparative study of the hygienic behavior of Carniolan and Africanized honey bees directed towards grouped versus isolated dead brood cells K.P. Gramacho 1 and L.S. Gonçalves 2 1 Curso de Ciências Biológicas,

More information

Honeybee nestmate recognition: the thermal behaviour of guards and their examinees

Honeybee nestmate recognition: the thermal behaviour of guards and their examinees The Journal of Experimental Biology 205, 2637 2642 (2002) Printed in Great Britain The Company of Biologists Limited 2002 JEB4226 2637 Honeybee nestmate recognition: the thermal behaviour of guards and

More information

The Western Honey Bee:

The Western Honey Bee: The Western Honey Bee: 1. Taxonomy 2. Various Breeds and Hybrids 3. Characteristics Apis mellifera The European honey bee or Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee. The genus Apis

More information

Glossary of Terms used in Beekeeping

Glossary of Terms used in Beekeeping Glossary of Terms used in Beekeeping A Abscond The action of bees leave the hive suddenly with few or no remainders. This should not be confused with swarming; it is often due to problems such as poor

More information

Social Insects. Social Insects. Subsocial. Social Insects 4/9/15. Insect Ecology

Social Insects. Social Insects. Subsocial. Social Insects 4/9/15. Insect Ecology Social Insects Social Insects Insect Ecology Sociality evolved multiple times in insects Much of Earth s fauna consists of social insects They play major roles in entire ecosystems Proliferation of ants

More information

Social Insects. Insect Ecology

Social Insects. Insect Ecology Social Insects Insect Ecology Social Insects Sociality evolved multiple times in insects Much of Earth s fauna consists of social insects They play major roles in entire ecosystems Proliferation of ants

More information

Introduction to Swarm Robotics

Introduction to Swarm Robotics COMP 4766 Introduction to Autonomous Robotics Introduction to Swarm Robotics By Andrew Vardy April 1, 2014 Outline 1 Initial Definitions 2 Examples of SI in Biology 3 Self-Organization 4 Stigmergy 5 Swarm

More information

Outline. 1 Initial Definitions. 2 Examples of SI in Biology. 3 Self-Organization. 4 Stigmergy. 5 Swarm Robotics

Outline. 1 Initial Definitions. 2 Examples of SI in Biology. 3 Self-Organization. 4 Stigmergy. 5 Swarm Robotics Outline COMP 4766 Introduction to Autonomous Robotics 1 Initial Definitions Introduction to Swarm Robotics 2 Examples of SI in Biology 3 Self-Organization By Andrew Vardy 4 Stigmergy April 1, 2014 5 Swarm

More information

Apis mellifera scuttelata. Common names: African honeybee also nicknamed the killer bee

Apis mellifera scuttelata. Common names: African honeybee also nicknamed the killer bee Apis mellifera scuttelata Common names: African honeybee also nicknamed the killer bee Description Compared to other Apis mellifera species, the most distinguishing trait of Apis mellifera scutellata is

More information

SOBA Bee School April, 2015

SOBA Bee School April, 2015 SOBA Bee School April, 2015 Bee Girl - University of Montana, Missoula - Iridovirus and Microsporidian Linked to CCD - Sonagraphic analysis of hive health - Pesticide effects - Bomb sniffing bees - OLLI

More information

DEPENDENCE OF NECROPHORIC RESPONSE TO OLEIC ACID ON SOCIAL CONTEXT IN THE ANT, Pogonornyrmex badius

DEPENDENCE OF NECROPHORIC RESPONSE TO OLEIC ACID ON SOCIAL CONTEXT IN THE ANT, Pogonornyrmex badius Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol., No. 1, 183 DEPENDENCE OF NECROPHORIC RESPONSE TO OLEIC ACID ON SOCIAL CONTEXT IN THE ANT, Pogonornyrmex badius DEBORAH M. GORDON Department of Zoology, Duke University

More information

Objectives. Bee Basics. Apis mellifera. Honey bees 3/13/2019. All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining bees Foraging and nutrition Bee diseases

Objectives. Bee Basics. Apis mellifera. Honey bees 3/13/2019. All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining bees Foraging and nutrition Bee diseases OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Bee Basics Amanda Bennett Extension Educator, ANR Objectives All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining bees Foraging and nutrition Bee diseases March 23, 2019 Southwestern

More information

Bee Basics. Objectives. Honey bees 3/15/2018. All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining bees Foraging and nutrition Protecting pollinators

Bee Basics. Objectives. Honey bees 3/15/2018. All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining bees Foraging and nutrition Protecting pollinators OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Bee Basics Amanda Bennett Extension Educator, ANR March 24, 2018 Southwestern Ohio Beekeeper School Loveland, Ohio Objectives All about bees Pheromones in the hive Obtaining

More information

Local resource competition. Sex allocation Is the differential allocation of investment in sons vs. daughters to increase RS. Local mate competition

Local resource competition. Sex allocation Is the differential allocation of investment in sons vs. daughters to increase RS. Local mate competition Sex allocation Is the differential allocation of investment in sons vs. daughters to increase RS Local resource competition Biased against the competing sex Fisher: Genetic model predicts 1:1 sex ratio

More information

NATURE S. Insect Pollinators, Plants, and. The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee; A clover, anytime, to her Is aristocracy.

NATURE S. Insect Pollinators, Plants, and. The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee; A clover, anytime, to her Is aristocracy. NATURE S Insect Pollinators, Plants, and The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee; A clover, anytime, to her Is aristocracy. Emily Dickenson The basics of cross-pollination 1. The petals attract

More information

Bee Communica,on A Hive Mind

Bee Communica,on A Hive Mind Bee Communica,on A Hive Mind Hive Mind Hive Mind One for all and all for one Kill self to protect the hive Fatal S,ng WHY? Kin Selec)on: So closely related The hive occupants: One queen a fer,le female

More information

Honeybees There are more than 22,000 types of bees in the world. Do you know which bees make honey? Without honeybees, you wouldn t have any honey to spread on your toast in the morning. You may have seen

More information

Mating frequency and genetic relatedness of workers in the hornet Vespa analis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Mating frequency and genetic relatedness of workers in the hornet Vespa analis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Entomological Science (003) 6, 119 13 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Mating frequency and genetic relatedness of workers in the hornet Vespa analis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Jun-ichi TAKAHASHI, 1 Shin ichi AKIMOTO, 1

More information

Report. Promiscuous Honey Bee Queens Increase Colony Productivity by Suppressing Worker Selfishness

Report. Promiscuous Honey Bee Queens Increase Colony Productivity by Suppressing Worker Selfishness Current Biology, 7 3, November 6, ª Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved http://dx.doi.org/.6/j.cub..8. Promiscuous Honey Bee Queens Increase Colony Productivity by Suppressing Worker Selfishness Report Heather

More information

Dept. of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Aas Norway

Dept. of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Aas Norway Failure to detect pleiotropy of maternal traits in a rare honey bee mutant is not a test of ground plan hypothesis that explains origins of social behavior Gro V. Amdam 1, 2 and Robert E. Page, Jr. 1 1

More information

Comparing Alternative Methods for Holding Virgin Honey Bee Queens for One Week in Mailing Cages before Mating

Comparing Alternative Methods for Holding Virgin Honey Bee Queens for One Week in Mailing Cages before Mating Comparing Alternative Methods for Holding Virgin Honey Bee Queens for One Week in Mailing Cages before Mating Gianluigi Bigio*, Christoph Grüter, Francis L. W. Ratnieks Laboratory of Apiculture and Social

More information

USE OF APIGUARD Frequently Asked Questions

USE OF APIGUARD Frequently Asked Questions USE OF APIGUARD Frequently Asked Questions 1. Q: What is Apiguard? A: Apiguard is thymol in a slow-release gel used to control varroa mites in honeybee colonies. 2. Q: How do I apply Apiguard? A: See Vita

More information

The Modified Pharaoh Approach: Stingless bees mummify beetle

The Modified Pharaoh Approach: Stingless bees mummify beetle 1 2 The Modified Pharaoh Approach: Stingless bees mummify beetle parasites alive 3 4 5 Peter Neumann 1,2,3, Mark K Greco 1,6, Dorothee Hoffmann 4, Anne Dollin 5, Michael Duncan 6, Robert Spooner-Hart 6

More information

The Effect of Temperature on Hind wing Vein of Apis cerana cerana during Sealed Brood s Development 1)

The Effect of Temperature on Hind wing Vein of Apis cerana cerana during Sealed Brood s Development 1) The Effect of Temperature on Hind wing Vein of Apis cerana cerana during Sealed Brood s Development 1) Zhou bingfeng 2) Zhu xiangjie Liyue Chenwenfeng Zhangxing Zhouyu Chenyanhuang (College of Bee Science,

More information

Comb construction in mixed-species colonies of honeybees, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera

Comb construction in mixed-species colonies of honeybees, Apis cerana and Apis mellifera 1659 The Journal of Experimental Biology 213, 1659-1664 2010. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd doi:10.1242/jeb.035626 Comb construction in mixed-species colonies of honeybees, Apis cerana and

More information

Apiguard Frequently Asked Questions

Apiguard Frequently Asked Questions 1. Q: What is Apiguard? A: Apiguard is thymol in a slow-release gel used to control varroa mites in honeybee colonies. Apiguard is a product suitable for use in organic farming in the European Union. 1/5

More information

Questions About Social Behavior

Questions About Social Behavior April 17: Altruism: Questions Questions About Social Behavior 1. Why live in groups? Costs: disease, competition, cannibalism, visibility to predators Benefits: more efficient foraging; defenses against

More information

12. Social insects. Is it better to be social? Is it better to be social? What is social? Some costs of being social

12. Social insects. Is it better to be social? Is it better to be social? What is social? Some costs of being social Is it better to be social? 12. Social insects Cost and benefit viewpoint Social behavior is not always adaptive (costs exceed benefits) What are some costs of being social? What are some benefits of being

More information

Chapter 14 The Evolution of Social Behavior (1 st lecture)

Chapter 14 The Evolution of Social Behavior (1 st lecture) Chapter 14 The Evolution of Social Behavior (1 st lecture) Society A group of individuals of the same species that is organized in a cooperative manner, extending beyond sexual and parental care Colonial

More information

There are approximately 25,000 species of Bee in the World There are almost 4000 species of Bee in North America There are approximately 1000

There are approximately 25,000 species of Bee in the World There are almost 4000 species of Bee in North America There are approximately 1000 There are approximately 25,000 species of Bee in the World There are almost 4000 species of Bee in North America There are approximately 1000 different species of Bee in Texas There are only 7-9 species

More information

Queen mating frequencies and genetic relatedness between workers in the hornet Vespa ducalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Queen mating frequencies and genetic relatedness between workers in the hornet Vespa ducalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Appl. Entomol. Zool. 37 (3): 481 486 (2002) Queen mating frequencies and genetic relatedness between workers in the hornet Vespa ducalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Jun-ichi Takahashi, 1,4, * Shin-ichi Akimoto,

More information

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution

More information

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doktor der Agrarwissenschaften (Dr. sc. Agr. / Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doktor der Agrarwissenschaften (Dr. sc. Agr. / Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences) Ontogenetic and Individual Patterns of Volatiles in Honeybee Queens Apis mellifera and its Significance for the Acceptance of Queens in Honeybee Colonies Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for

More information

13 November 2005 Volume XIII No. 11

13 November 2005 Volume XIII No. 11 13 November 2005 Volume XIII No. 11 Can you believe we re still seeing butterflies in great abundance in butterfly gardens, even though we have had a couple of nights of light frost? The dry weather must

More information

Observation system for the control of the hive environment by the honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Observation system for the control of the hive environment by the honeybee (Apis mellifera) Behavior Research Methods 2009, 41 (3), 782-786 doi:10.3758/brm.41.3.782 Observation system for the control of the hive environment by the honeybee (Apis mellifera) MIZUE OHASHI University of Hyogo, Himeji,

More information

Modeling the Adaptive Role of Negative Signaling in Honey Bee Intraspecific Competition

Modeling the Adaptive Role of Negative Signaling in Honey Bee Intraspecific Competition J Insect Behav (21) 23:459 471 DOI 1.17/s195-1-9229-5 Modeling the Adaptive Role of Negative Signaling in Honey Bee Intraspecific Competition Brian R. Johnson & James C. Nieh Revised: 5 August 21 / Accepted:

More information

Social recognition is the tool that

Social recognition is the tool that Recognition Pheromones of the Honey Bee The chemistry of nestmate recognition Michael D. Breed Social recognition is the tool that allows animals to act appropriately toward other animals; animals survive

More information

Abraham Hefetz, Israel, Katzav-Gozansky. Keywords: pheromones, social behavior, worker reproduction

Abraham Hefetz, Israel,   Katzav-Gozansky. Keywords: pheromones, social behavior, worker reproduction APIACTA 39 (2004) 44-52 44 FROM WWW.APIMONDIA.ORG ---------------------------------------------------------- Are multiple honeybee queen pheromones indicators for a queen-workers arms race? Abraham Hefetz,

More information

Regents Review Assignment #8-A08 Living Environment: Comet Part A Questions

Regents Review Assignment #8-A08 Living Environment: Comet Part A Questions Part A Questions 1. A student notices that fruit flies with the curlywing trait develop straight wings if kept at a temperature of 16 C, but develop curly wings if kept at 25 C. The best explanation for

More information

Cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): differences between colonies, castes and age

Cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): differences between colonies, castes and age Cuticular hydrocarbons in the stingless bee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini): differences between colonies, castes and age T.M. Nunes 1, I.C.C. Turatti 2, S. Mateus 1, F.S.

More information

Life History of the Honey Bee Tracheal Mite (Acari: Tarsonemidae)

Life History of the Honey Bee Tracheal Mite (Acari: Tarsonemidae) ARTHROPOD BIOLOGY Life History of the Honey Bee Tracheal Mite (Acari: Tarsonemidae) JEFFERY S. PETTIS 1 AND WILLIAM T. WILSON Honey Bee Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 2413 East Highway 83, Weslaco, TX 78596

More information

Why such altruism? Why are these nymphs sacrificing themselves to protect other aphids?

Why such altruism? Why are these nymphs sacrificing themselves to protect other aphids? 12: Social Insects Some aphids in the subfamilies Pemphiginae and Hormaphidinae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) have a sacrificial soldier caste. Some first and secondinstar nymphs exhibit aggressive behavior and

More information

Materials and Methods. Usman H Dukku α, Zecarias Russom σ & Albert G Domo ρ

Materials and Methods. Usman H Dukku α, Zecarias Russom σ & Albert G Domo ρ Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Biological Science Volume 13 Issue 4 Version 1. Year 213 Type : Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA)

More information

Policing and group cohesion when resources vary

Policing and group cohesion when resources vary Anim. Behav., 996, 52, 63 69 Policing and group cohesion when resources vary STEVEN A. FRANK Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Irvine (Received 5 January 996;

More information

o Can you find any nectar? Brood? Honey? o Can you find any drones and drone cells? o Can you find the queen bee?

o Can you find any nectar? Brood? Honey? o Can you find any drones and drone cells? o Can you find the queen bee? o Can you find any nectar? Brood? Honey? o Can you find any drones and drone cells? o Can you find the queen bee? *NOTE: The queen in Observation Hive #1 has a yellow mark on her. Put the wooden panels

More information

In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants

In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants LABORATORY OF ENTOMOLOGY In-hive pollen transfer between bees enhances cross-pollination of plants No.: 07.01 Janneke Paalhaar May 2006 - January 2007 Examinator: Marcel Dicke Wageningen UR 1 In-hive pollen

More information

Alana Schick , ISCI 330 Apr. 12, The Evolution of Cooperation: Putting gtheory to the Test

Alana Schick , ISCI 330 Apr. 12, The Evolution of Cooperation: Putting gtheory to the Test Alana Schick 43320027, ISCI 330 Apr. 12, 2007 The Evolution of Cooperation: Putting gtheory to the Test Evolution by natural selection implies that individuals with a better chance of surviving and reproducing

More information

SOCIAL ANIMALS. -Spectacular -Photographed -Studied -Appreciated. The PINNACLE of evolution???

SOCIAL ANIMALS. -Spectacular -Photographed -Studied -Appreciated. The PINNACLE of evolution??? SOCIAL ANIMALS -Spectacular -Photographed -Studied -Appreciated The PINNACLE of evolution??? QUALITIES Social animals are aggregations of conspecifics that may have enhanced communication abilities some

More information

The Bee, Part I: Dance of the Bees Gioietta Kuo

The Bee, Part I: Dance of the Bees Gioietta Kuo January 9, 2018 Busy Bees by Sharon Sperry Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The Bee, Part I: Dance of the Bees Gioietta Kuo Bees are not ordinary wildlife. They have a special relationship with human society. For

More information

The use of conspecific and interspecific scent marks by foraging bumblebees and honeybees

The use of conspecific and interspecific scent marks by foraging bumblebees and honeybees ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 21, 62, 183 189 doi:1.16/anbe.21.1729, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on The use of conspecific and interspecific scent marks by foraging bumblebees and honeybees JANE

More information

RAPID EVOLUTION IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

RAPID EVOLUTION IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE University of Florida Center for Precollegiate Education and Training Drowsy Drosophila: RAPID EVOLUTION IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE DROWSY DROSOPHILA: RAPID EVOLUTION IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE Authors:

More information

Assessment Schedule 2013 Biology: Demonstrate understanding of the responses of plants and animals to their external environment (91603)

Assessment Schedule 2013 Biology: Demonstrate understanding of the responses of plants and animals to their external environment (91603) NCEA Level 3 Biology (91603) 2013 page 1 of 6 Assessment Schedule 2013 Biology: Demonstrate understanding of the responses of plants and animals to their external environment (91603) Assessment Criteria

More information

A Simple Haploid-Diploid Evolutionary Algorithm

A Simple Haploid-Diploid Evolutionary Algorithm A Simple Haploid-Diploid Evolutionary Algorithm Larry Bull Computer Science Research Centre University of the West of England, Bristol, UK larry.bull@uwe.ac.uk Abstract It has recently been suggested that

More information

The Biology of the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera

The Biology of the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera The Biology of the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera NOTE: The images found in this document have been redrawn from Mark L. Winston. 1987. The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA.

More information

TASK-RELATED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF LABIAL GLAND VOLATILE SECRETION IN WORKER HONEYBEES (Apis mellifera ligustica)

TASK-RELATED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF LABIAL GLAND VOLATILE SECRETION IN WORKER HONEYBEES (Apis mellifera ligustica) Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 27, No. 5, 2001 TASK-RELATED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF LABIAL GLAND VOLATILE SECRETION IN WORKER HONEYBEES (Apis mellifera ligustica) TAMAR KATZAV-GOZANSKY, 1, VICTORIA SOROKER,

More information

COMPARISON OF FORAGING ACTIVITY BETWEEN MASON BEE OSMIA ORIENTALIS

COMPARISON OF FORAGING ACTIVITY BETWEEN MASON BEE OSMIA ORIENTALIS Volume 125, Number 5, March 2016 363 COMPARISON OF FORAGING ACTIVITY BETWEEN MASON BEE OSMIA ORIENTALIS (HYMENOPTERA: MEGACHILIDAE) AND HONYBEES FOR WILD RASP- BERRY RUBUS HIRSUTUS (ROSALES: ROSACEAE)

More information

Thatch Ants:Territoriality of a Formica Species in Relation to Neighborhood and Thatch Mound Size.

Thatch Ants:Territoriality of a Formica Species in Relation to Neighborhood and Thatch Mound Size. Thatch Ants:Territoriality of a Formica Species in Relation to Neighborhood and Thatch Mound Size. Robin I. Gruginski 1*, Shannon L. Skinner 1, Holly L. Decker 1, Daniel Barash 1, Curtis B. Swanson 1 1

More information

Queen acceptance and the complexity of nestmate discrimination in the Argentine ant

Queen acceptance and the complexity of nestmate discrimination in the Argentine ant Behav Ecol Sociobiol (2008) 62:537 548 DOI 10.1007/s00265-007-0478-z ORIGINAL PAPER Queen acceptance and the complexity of nestmate discrimination in the Argentine ant Gissella M. Vásquez & Jules Silverman

More information

Nonrandom Visitation of Brood Cells by Worker Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Nonrandom Visitation of Brood Cells by Worker Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Journal of lnsect Behavior, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1991 Nonrandom Visitation of Brood Cells by Worker Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Zhi-Yong Huang 1'2 and Gard W. Otis t Accepted June 28, 1990; revised August

More information

Interspecific ant competition over novel aphid resources and changes in plant chemistry. due to ant-aphid mutualisms on milkweed plants

Interspecific ant competition over novel aphid resources and changes in plant chemistry. due to ant-aphid mutualisms on milkweed plants Liesl Oeller 7/27/14 Ecology Summer 2014 Interspecific ant competition over novel aphid resources and changes in plant chemistry due to ant-aphid mutualisms on milkweed plants Abstract Ants and aphids

More information

STEREOCHEMISTRY OF HOST PLANT MONOTERPENES AS MATE LOCATION CUES FOR THE GALL WASP Antistrophus rufus

STEREOCHEMISTRY OF HOST PLANT MONOTERPENES AS MATE LOCATION CUES FOR THE GALL WASP Antistrophus rufus Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 30, No. 2, February 2004 ( C 2004) Originally published online January 14, 2004, Rapid Communications, pp. RC125 129 (http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/0098-0331) STEREOCHEMISTRY

More information

Animal groups are structured by a process of selection that

Animal groups are structured by a process of selection that Worker policing without genetic conflicts in a clonal ant A. Hartmann*, J. Wantia*, J. A. Torres, and J. Heinze* *Department of Biology I, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, 93040 Regensburg,

More information