Some of my earlier work demonstrated that bees were exceedingly accurate in their time-memory early in the day but become somewhat less accurate as the day wears on. It would be useful to test the honeybee time-sense to determine exactly what sensory cues associated with the food reward are used in the marking of time into memory. The clock really is not functional at all until the foraging transition. I have some behavioral experiments in mind to differentiate between these two scenarios. Preliminary evidence suggests that the answer is yes.
More experiments are necessary.
Bees are highly social creatures. Regional specialization for an optomotor response in the honeybee compound eye. Diurnal changes in the accuracy of the honeybee foraging rhythm. Circadian locomotor rhythms in individual honeybees. The influence of time of day on the foraging behavior of the honeybee, Apis mellifera .