Associative visual learning, color discrimination, and chromatic adaptation in the harnessed honeybee Apis mellifera L.

Abstract

We studied associative visual learning in harnessed honeybees trained with monochromatic lights associated with a reward of sucrose solution delivered to the antennae and proboscis, to elicit the proboscis extension reflex (PER). We demonstrated five properties of visual learning under these conditions. First, antennae deprivation significantly increased visual acquisition, suggesting that sensory input from the antennae interferes with visual learning. Second, covering the compound eyes with silver paste significantly decreased visual acquisition, while covering the ocelli did not. Third, there was no significant difference in the visual acquisition between nurse bees, guard bees, and foragers. Fourth, bees conditioned with a 540-nm light stimulus exhibited light-induced PER with a 618-nm, but not with a 439-nm light stimulus. Finally, bees conditioned with a 540-nm light stimulus exhibited PER immediately after the 439-nm light was turned off, suggesting that the bees reacted to an afterimage induced by prior adaptation to the 439-nm light that might be similar to the 540-nm light.

Behaviour towards an unpreferred colour: can green flowers attract foraging hawkmoths?

“…Typically 3-5 trials were used (Menzel, 1999;Hori et al, 2006;Niggebrügge et al, 2009). This can lead to long-term effects within 2min if the trials follow each other quickly (Menzel and Müller, 1996).…”

Invertebrate learning and memory: Fifty years of olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response in honeybees

“…A damaged animal will probably be less responsive than an intact animal. The low acquisition rates observed in antennae-deprived bees despite long conditioning procedures (Hori et al 2006(Hori et al , 2007 may be related to this fact. Indeed, it has been recently shown that antennae deprivation reduces sucrose responsiveness when measured through tarsal stimulation (de Brito Sanchez et al 2008), probably leading to a reduction of US value and of acquisition and retention performances.…”

“…6 Kuwabara reported that the proboscis extension response of immobilized honeybees could be conditioned using colored lights as CS and sucrose solution delivered to the tarsi as US (Kuwabara 1957). However, Kuwabara's work did not receive broad attention as shown by the fact that almost 50 years passed before other researchers published results on honeybee visual conditioning using Kuwabara's method (Hori et al 2006(Hori et al , 2007. This lack of popularity was probably due to the fact that Kuwabara's results could not be reproduced for many years.…”

“…This lack of popularity was probably due to the fact that Kuwabara's results could not be reproduced for many years. It was only a few years ago that other Japanese researchers realized that the critical procedural aspect to follow was to cut the antennae of the bees prior to conditioning (Hori et al 2006(Hori et al , 2007. Indeed, Kuwabara wrote "en passant" that bees in his protocol started extending the proboscis to the sucrose solution before it reached the antennae or mouth parts.…”

“…After having praised the versatility of PER conditioning, it is, nevertheless, necessary to acknowledge that it has failed to provide a robust paradigm for the study of visual learning and memory. As mentioned above (see The Origins), and for reasons so far unknown, intact, harnessed bees only exhibit conditioned PER to visual cues associated with sucrose if their antennae have been ablated beforehand (Kuwabara 1957;Hori et al 2006Hori et al , 2007. This procedure results in bees that are less responsive to the US, as shown through tarsal stimulation (de Brito Sanchez et al 2008), probably leading to impaired acquisition and retention performances.…”