U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Carl Hayden Bee Research Center: Tucson, AZ
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Information
                        Africanized Honey Bees
                                    Bee Safety
                                    Online Books
                                    Other NewsSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Pacific West Area Tucson, Arizona Carl Hayden Bee Research Center Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications
- Cold Storage Overview
- Why put colonies in cold storage to overwinter?
- When to put colonies in cold storage?
- Which colonies to put into cold storage?
- Cold Storage Overwintering Tool
- Overview
- Objective 1: Climate effects on bloom and floral rewards
- Objective 2. Landscape level nutrition models
- Objective 3: Determine pollinator number, diversity and pathogen load
- Objective 4: Develop a management plan for overwintering colonies in cold storage
- Outcomes
- Varroa Overview
- Varroa mite life cycle and reproduction
- Varroosis
- How to Monitor, Sample, and Treat for Varroa
- Current Research: Mite Migration
- Introduction
- BEEPOP+ Model

Title:   Author  item
                                            LEWIS, L. - UNIV. OF NORTH CAROLINAitem
                                            SCHNEIDER, STANLEY - UNIV. OF NORTH CAROLINAitem
                                            DeGrandi-Hoffman, Gloria
  Submitted to: Journal of Animal Behavior
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/18/2001
                                    Publication  Date: 1/27/2002
                                    Citation: Lewis, L. A., Schneider, S. S., DeGrandi-Hoffman, G. Factors influencing the selection of recipients by workers performing vibration signals in colonies of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. 2002. Animal Behaviour 63, 361-367.Interpretive Summary: The vibration signal performed by honey bees is defined as an activity where a worker grasps a nestmate and rapidly vibrates her own body up and down for about 1-2 seconds.  While this behavior is frequently seen in honey bee colonies, its exact purpose is not well understood.  We conducted a series of experiments to determine the relationship between  workers that vibrate nestmates and their choices of whom they vibrate. This information might provide some insights concerning the purpose of the vibration signal.  We found that workers did not discriminate based upon the age of the nestmate they chose to vibrate.  Workers showed a slight preference for vibrating full-sisters (i.e., workers that had the same drone father as that of the vibrating worker) versus half-sisters (i.e. workers with a different drone father than that of the vibrating worker).  Vibration signals were most consistently directed at inactive  workers.  Thus, the vibration signal might be the first step in recruiting inactive workers for tasks that need to be performed in the hive.
                                Technical Abstract: The vibration signal of the honey bee functions as "modulatory communication" because it elicits a general increase in activity that may help integrate the behavior of workers that perform different but interrelated tasks.  Workers that produce vibration signals contact numerous other bees some of which receive the signal while others are  "bypassed" (antennated but not vibrated).  We monitored vibration signal behavior in six observation colonies to investigate the degree to which vibrating bees selected among potential recipients and the factors that influenced these choices.  Vibrating bees roamed throughout the next and rejected more than half of all potential recipients contacted during the periods of signal production.  Worker age did not influence recipient choice.  There were no differences in the mean age of vibrated versus bypassed workers of the proportion of foraging age versus pre-foraging  age recipients.  However, a worker's activity level influenced by the likelihood of it receiving vibration signals.  Signals were preferentially directed toward workers that were inactive versus active when contacted by the vibrating bee.  Selection of recipients was also influenced by relatedness.  Vibrating bees were more likely to perform signals on super-sisters versus half-sisters, although this difference was slight.  Recipient choice by vibrating bees may help to simultaneously activate workers of all ages.  This, in turn, could help coordinate the behavior of different worker age groups that perform interdependent tasks, but which may be spatially segregated in the nest.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov