Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Honeybee Neurobiology and Behavior pp 89–101Cite as

Olfactory Information Transfer During Recruitment in Honey Bees

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Honey bee colonies use a number of signals and information cues to coordinate collective foraging. The best known signal is the waggle dance by which dancers provide nest-mates with information about the location of a foraging or nest site. The efficiency of this nest-based recruitment strategy partly depends on olfactory information about food sources that is transferred from dancer to receivers in parallel to spatial information. Here we will address how the waggle dance facilitates the acquisition and the retrieval of food odor information and how olfactory memory affects the interaction patterns among nest-mates within the dancing and the food-unloading context. We further discuss how olfactory information affects the food preferences of foragers acquired directly from scented-food offered inside the hive. The discussed results show that odor learning in this context is an important component of the honey bee recruitment system that has long-term consequences for foraging decisions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

LIO:

Linalool

PER:

Proboscis extension reflex

PHE:

Phenylacetaldehyde

US:

Unconditioned stimulus

References

  1. Arenas A, Fernandez VM, Farina WM (2008) Floral scents experienced within the colony affect long-term foraging preferences in honeybees. Apidologie 39(6):714–722

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Beekman M (2005) How long will honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) be stimulated by scent to revisit past-profitable forage sites? J Comp Physiol A 191(12):1115–1120

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Biesmeijer J, Seeley T (2005) The use of waggle dance information by honey bees throughout their foraging careers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 59(1):133–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bitterman ME, Menzel R, Fietz A, Schäfer S (1983) Classical conditioning of proboscis extension in honeybees (Apis mellifera). J Comp Psychol 97(2):107–119

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Diaz PC, Grüter C, Farina WM (2007) Floral scents affect the distribution of hive bees around dancers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 61(10):1589–1597

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dirschedl H (1960) Die Vermittlung des Blütenduftes bei der Verständigung im Bienenstock. Doctoral thesis, University of Munich, Germany

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dyer FC (2002) The biology of the dance language. Annu Rev Entomol 47:917–949

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Esch H (1961) über die Schallerzeugung beim Werbetanz der Honigbiene. Z vergl Physiol 45(1):1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Esch HE, Zhang SW, Srinivasan MV, Tautz J (2001) Honeybee dances communicate distances measured by optic flow. Nature 411(6837):581–583

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Farina WM (2000) The interplay between dancing and trophallactic behavior in the honey bee Apis mellifera. J Comp Physiol A 186(3):239–245

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Farina WM, Grüter C (2009) Trophallaxis: a mechanism of information transfer. In: Jarau S, Hrncir M (eds) Food exploitation by social insects: ecological, behavioral, and theoretical approaches. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 173–187

    Google Scholar 

  12. Farina WM, Grüter C, Diaz PC (2005) Social learning of floral odours inside the honeybee hive. Proc. R. Soc. B 272(1575):1923–1928

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Fernandez VM, Arenas A, Farina WM (2009) Volatile exposure within the honeybee hive and its effect on olfactory discrimination. J Comp Physiol A 195(8):759–768

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Free JB (1958) Attempts to condition bees to visit selected crops. Bee World 39:221–230

    Google Scholar 

  15. Free JB (1969) Influence of odour of a honeybee colonys food stores on behaviour of its foragers. Nature 222(5195):778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Gerber B, Geberzahn N, Hellstern F, Klein J, Kowalksy O et al (1996) Honey bees transfer olfactory memories established during flower visits to a proboscis extension paradigm in the laboratory. Anim Behav 52:1079–1085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gil M, De Marco RJ (2005) Olfactory learning by means of trophallaxis in Apis mellifera. J Exp Biol 208(Pt 4):671–680

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Goyret J, Farina WM (2005) Non-random nectar unloading interactions between foragers and their receivers in the honeybee hive. Naturwissenschaften 92(9):440–443

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Grüter C, Acosta LE, Farina WM (2006) Propagation of olfactory information within the honeybee hive. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 60(5):707–715

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Grüter C, Balbuena MS, Farina WM (2008) Informational conflicts created by the waggle dance. Proc. R. Soc. B 275(1640):1321–1327

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Grüter C, Balbuena MS, Farina WM (2009) Retention of long-term memories in different age groups of honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers. Insect Soc 56(4):385–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Grüter C, Farina WM (2009) The honeybee waggle dance: can we follow the steps? Trends Ecol Evol 24(5):242–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Grüter C, Farina WM (2009) Past experiences affect interaction patterns among foragers and hive-mates in honeybees. Ethology 115(8):790–797

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Knudsen JT, Tollsten L, Bergstrom LG (1993) Floral scents – a checklist of volatile compounds isolated by headspace techniques. Phytochemistry 33(2):253–280

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Lindauer M (1949) Über die Einwirkung von Duftmacksstoffen und Geschmacksstoffen sowie anderer Faktoren auf die Tanze der Bienen. Z vergl Physiol 31(3):348–412

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Lindauer M (1954) Temperaturregulierung und Wasserhaushalt im Bienenstaat. Z vergl Physiol 36 (4):391–432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Lindauer M, Kerr WE (1960) Communication between the workers of stingless bees. Bee World 41:29–71

    Google Scholar 

  28. Menzel R (1969) Das Gedächtnis der Honigbiene für Spektralfarben. II. Umlernen und Mehrfachlernen. Z vergl Physiol 63:290–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Menzel R (1999) Memory dynamics in the honeybee. J Comp Physiol A 185(4):323–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Menzel R, Müller U (1996) Learning and memory in honeybees: from behavior to neural substrates. Annu Rev Neurosci 19:379–404

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Michelsen A (2003) Signals and flexibility in the dance communication of honeybees. J Comp Physiol A 189(3):165–174

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Nixon HL, Ribbands CR (1952) Food transmission within the honeybee community. Proc. R. Soc. B 140(898):43–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Pankiw T, Nelson M, Page RE, Fondrk MK (2004) The communal crop: modulation of sucrose response thresholds of pre-foraging honey bees with incoming nectar quality. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 55(3):286–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ramirez GP, Martinez AS, Fernandez VM, Bielsa GC, Farina WM (2010) The influence of gustatory and olfactory experiences on responsiveness to reward in the honeybee. Plos One 5(10):1–12, e134898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Reinhard J, Srinivasan MV, Guez D, Zhang SW (2004) Floral scents induce recall of navigational and visual memories in honeybees. J Exp Biol 207(Pt 25):4371–4381

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Ribbands CR (1954) Communication between honeybees. I: the response of crop-attached bees to the scent of their crop. Proc R Entomol Soc Lond A 30:1–3

    Google Scholar 

  37. Riley JR, Greggers U, Smith AD, Reynolds DR, Menzel R (2005) The flight paths of honeybees recruited by the waggle dance. Nature 435(7039):205–207

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Sandoz JC, Laloi D, Odoux JF, Pham-Delegue MH (2000) Olfactory information transfer in the honeybee: compared efficiency of classical conditioning and early exposure. Anim Behav 59(5):1025–1034

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Seeley TD (1995) The wisdom of the hive. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  40. Vogel S (1983) Ecophysiology of zoophilic pollination. In: Lange OL, Nobel PS, Osmond CB, Ziegler H (eds) Physiological plant ecology III, (encyclopedia of plant physiology). Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York, pp 559–624

    Google Scholar 

  41. von Frisch K (1967) The dance language and orientation of bees. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  42. Wenner AM, Wells PH, Johnson DL (1969) Honey bee recruitment to food sources: olfaction or language? Science 164(3875):84–86

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Wright GA, Schiestl FP (2009) The evolution of floral scent: the influence of olfactory learning by insect pollinators on the honest signalling of floral rewards. Funct Ecol 23(5):841–851

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Estudio de Insectos Sociales, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Walter M. Farina & Andrés Arenas

  2. Laboratory of Apiculture & Social Insects, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard-Smith Building, Falmer, BN1 9QG, UK

    Christoph Grüter

Authors
  1. Walter M. Farina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christoph Grüter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andrés Arenas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Walter M. Farina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Neurobiology, Universität Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany

    C. Giovanni Galizia

  2. , Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Dorothea Eisenhardt

  3. , Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition An, CNRS - Université Paul Sabatier, Route de Narbonne 118, Toulouse Cedex 9, 31062, France

    Martin Giurfa

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Farina, W.M., Grüter, C., Arenas, A. (2012). Olfactory Information Transfer During Recruitment in Honey Bees. In: Galizia, C., Eisenhardt, D., Giurfa, M. (eds) Honeybee Neurobiology and Behavior. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2099-2_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation