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

Abstract

Mixed colonies of both Apis cerana L. and Apis mellifera L. workers were established. Three colonies were headed by A. cerana queens; SUMMARYComb building in mixed-species colonies of Apis cerana and Apis mellifera was studied. Two types of cell-size foundation were made from the waxes of these species and inserted into mixed colonies headed either by an A. cerana or an A. mellifera queen. The colonies did not discriminate between the waxes but the A. cerana cell-size foundation was modified during comb building by the workers of both species. In pure A. cerana colonies workers did not accept any foundation but secreted wax and built on foundation in mixed colonies. Comb building is performed by small groups of workers through a mechanism of self-organisation. The two species cooperate in comb building and construct nearly normal combs but they contain many irregular cells. In pure A. mellifera colonies, the A. cerana cell size was modified and the queens were reluctant to lay eggs on such combs. In pure A. cerana colonies, the A. mellifera cell size was built without any modification but these cells were used either for drone brood rearing or for food storing. The principal elements of comb-building behaviour are common to both species, which indicates that they evolved prior to and were conserved after speciation.

Characterization of Natural Bee Space and Cell Dimensions of Honeybees of Central Ethiopia (<i>Apis mellifera bandasii</i>)

“…Moreover, similar results of uniform comb thickness across agro-ecology has been reported for A. mellifera from northern Ethiopian [16]. In contrast, the large variation in the bee space suggests that local A. mellifera workers are more tolerant of comb spacing factor [23]. However, comb spacing, which, in turn, affects the bee space in movable frame box hives is critical in maintaining optimal conditions within the brood nest.…”

Playbacks of Asian honey bee stop signals demonstrate referential inhibitory communication

“…Direct contact playbacks consisted of the experimenter lightly touching the tip of the probe to the abdomen (either left or right side, randomly selected) and administering a single SS SH or SS LH to a waggle dancer. Comb playbacks consisted of the experimenter placing the probe tip in contact with the closest comb cell wall to the waggle dancer, approximately 4.4 mm (Yang, Tan, Radloff, Phiancharoen, & Hepburn, 2010) away from the edge of the dancer's abdomen and delivering either a SS SH or SS LH . During the signal playback, the bee was scored as freezing or not freezing (moving).…”

Cognitive Aspects of Comb-Building in the Honeybee?

“…These examples of adaptive behavior are of a small scale, correcting details of a scale less than that of a cell. Cell-scale adaptation of the construction method was also evident when a mixed species colony ( A. mellifera and A. cerana ) built comb over foundation ideal for one or other species ( Yang et al, 2010 ). The mismatch between the natural cell size and that suggested by the foundation required adaptive modification of the bees’ natural construction habit.…”