Food alert in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris): Possible mechanisms and evolutionary implications
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
2001
Journal Article
50
6
570-576
communication pheromone foraging bee dance recruitment Melipona panamica stingless bee round dances honeybee animal behavior colonies origins signals chemical ecology experiments animals invertebrates arthropods insects bees Bombus terrestris Madre de Dios Bibliography
The return of a successful bumblebee forager stimulates nestmates to leave the nest and search for food. Here we investigate the mechanisms by which this happens. Successful Bombus terrestris foragers perform irregular runs in their nest, often lasting for several minutes. Run duration is at its maximum when food has just been discovered. Running likely serves to distribute a pheromone, since the information flow between "runners" and "recruits" can be disrupted by eliminating air exchange, while leaving other potential means of communication intact. In addition, nectar stores in the nest may be monitored continuously. A sudden influx of nectar into the nest also causes measurable increases in forager activity. The implications of bumblebee recruitment behavior for the evolution of communication in bees are discussed.