MOTIVATION AND REGULATION OF HONEY-BEE FORAGING

Although the foraging behaviour of honey bees has been studied from di fferent perspectives, the motivational aspects of such activity have b een frequently ignored despite the critical effects they exert. This a rticle is concerned with the study of ways in which honey bee foraging is affected by motivational state, a question that has guided the res earch work of the first author over many years. From his first studies in Germany in the sixties to the latest and most recent ones in Argen tina, the results of such work and the theoretical frame into which th ey are inserted are reviewed here. By presenting this review based on the first author's results, we intend to highlight the importance of c onsidering honey bee foraging as a motivational system.