Honey Bee Foraging Decisions Are Shaped by Floral Trait Distinctiveness and Perception of Gains or Losses.

ABSTRACT: The floral choices of honey bees (Apis mellifera) were studied using artificial flower patches to understand how foragers manage changing floral landscapes. Bees were observed under conditions where reward quality changed over time in blue and white flowers. We evaluated initial learning and reversal learning, varying the magnitude of reward quality-difference and color distinctness in the honey bee's color vision space (being either similar or more distinct). Flower color fidelity was higher when flower colors were more distinct, but it also made it more difficult for bees to abandon the flower color in the reversal learning phase. Smaller differences in reward quality reduced flower color fidelity and promoted reversal learning. When reward difference between flower colors was cre

SUBMITTER: Hernandez JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12470984 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature