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Risk-indifferent foraging behaviour in honeybees.

Fülöp1, Menzel

  • 1Neurobiologie, Freie Universität Berlin

Animal Behaviour
|November 18, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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Honeybees (Apis mellifera carnica) choose feeders based on average reward amount, not reward variability. Bees demonstrated risk indifference, matching choices to mean reward, not seeking or avoiding variable rewards.

Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Neuroethology
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Understanding foraging decisions in animals is crucial for ecology.
  • Honeybees (Apis mellifera carnica) are vital pollinators, making their foraging behavior a key research area.
  • Investigating how reward variability influences choice behavior provides insight into decision-making under uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of variance in reward volume on the choice behavior of honeybees.
  • To determine if honeybees exhibit risk-sensitive or risk-indifferent foraging strategies.
  • To assess honeybees' ability to discriminate between feeders based on reward amount and variability.

Main Methods:

  • Developed novel electromechanical feeders controlled by microprocessors to monitor and deliver sucrose rewards.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Trained honeybees to collect sucrose solution from four feeders with varying reward amounts and variances.
  • Arranged feeders in pairs, with constant feeders providing a fixed amount and variable feeders offering a normal distribution of rewards.

    • Main Results:

    • Honeybees matched their choice frequencies to the mean reward amount, irrespective of whether the reward was constant or variable.
    • Bees demonstrated the ability to discriminate feeders by reward amount and estimate the mean reward from variable sources.
    • The proportion of immediate returns to the same feeder increased with the amount of sucrose imbibed, indicating perception of reward at each visit.
    • Reward variance did not influence the choice behavior of the honeybees, suggesting risk indifference.

    Conclusions:

    • Honeybees exhibit risk-indifferent behavior when faced with variable reward volumes.
    • Bees are capable of accurately assessing the mean reward from variable sources.
    • The findings contribute to understanding decision-making models of risk sensitivity in animal foraging.