Food transmission within the honeybee community

Abstract

Six bees were trained to a dish, from which they collected 20 ml. of sugar-syrup containing radioactive phosphorus. The distribution of radioactivity among the bees and larvae of their colony of 24 500 bees was then studied. 62% of the foragers and 16 to 21% of all the bees in the hive were radioactive within 4 h. 76% of the foragers and 43 to 60% of all the bees were radioactive within 27 h. The nurse bees were significantly less radioactive than the house bees and the foragers significantly more so. Within 48 h all the large larvae in unsealed cells were radioactive. These results are attributed to widespread food transmission. Food transmission is suggested as the foundation of the division of labour within the honeybee community and of the similar odour produced by the members of each colony, which serves for mutual recognition. Food transmission would enable slow-acting insecticides contained in their food to be widely distributed among the members of a honeybee colony.