EXPERIMENTAL ACCESS TO ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING IN HONEYBEES

The pioneering work on the behavior and physiology of bees provides a fundamental framework on which new experiments can be designed in orde r to investigate the nature of associative learning in bees. Such stud ies require investigations not only on the behavior of free-flying bee s, but also on the behavior of restrained bees as a basis for studies on the cellular level. In order to combine the results about free-flyi ng bees with the results obtained in the laboratory, it is first neces sary to test the validity of the restrained preparation. Therefore, on e has to deal with the clarification of associations formed during bot h classical conditioning and instrumental learning. If it is possible to identify comparable associations, then the results could lead to mu tually supportive interpretations with respect to the mechanisms and b iological meaning of learning and memory in the honeybee.