Young honeybees show learned preferences after experiencing adulterated pollen

Area of Science:

• Animal Behavior
• Entomology
• Chemical Ecology

Background:

• Pollen is a crucial food source for young, in-hive honeybees, influencing colony development and productivity.
• Honeybee foragers do not consume pollen, suggesting that younger bees learn pollen preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if young honeybees learn to adjust their pollen preferences based on associated taste or olfactory cues.
• To determine if honeybees can form associative memories linking pollen characteristics to positive or negative experiences.

Main Methods:

• Consumption preference tests were conducted on nurse-aged bees in both caged and open colony settings.
• Bees were exposed to pure pollens adulterated with deterrents (amygdalin, quinine) or phagostimulants (linoleic acid).
• A Y-maze was used to test olfactory learning by associating neutral odors with deterrent-adulterated pollen.

Main Results:

• Honeybees showed reduced consumption of pollens adulterated with deterrents and increased consumption of pollens supplemented with phagostimulants.
• Bees in the Y-maze consistently avoided odors previously paired with deterrent-adulterated pollen.
• These findings indicate associative learning influencing pollen selection in young bees.

Conclusions:

• Nurse-aged honeybees form memories associating pollen cues with specific taste or olfactory experiences.
• Learned responses significantly bias honeybee pollen selection, affecting their dietary choices and potentially colony health.
• This study highlights the role of associative learning in shaping honeybee nutrition and foraging behavior indirectly.