Investigating the Foraging, Guarding and Drifting Behaviors of Commercial Bombus terrestris.

ABSTRACT: Social insects have high levels of cooperation and division of labor. In bumble bees this is partly size-based, with larger bees performing tasks outside the nest and smaller bees remaining inside, although bumble bees still display considerable behavioral plasticity. The level of specialization in tasks outside the colony, including foraging, guarding and drifting (entering a foreign colony), is currently unknown for bumble bees. This study aimed to assess division of labor between outside tasks and the degree of specialization in foraging, guarding, and switching colonies in commercially reared bumble bees placed in the field. Nine factory-bought Bombus terrestris colonies were placed on three farms in Sussex, UK, between June and August 2015. Forty workers from each colony were r

SUBMITTER: MacKenzie EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8813815 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature