OLFACTION IN GUARD HONEY-BEE RESPONSES TO NON-NESTMATES

In social insects, nestmate recognition information can come from eith er contact chemoreception or olfaction. What role do airborne olfactor y cues play in nestmate recognition by honey bee colony guards, and ho w do these signals affect guard orientation and behavior? We demonstra te that airborne cues play a significant role in guard bee recognition of nestmates and non-nestmates. Exposure of a guard bee to the scent of a non-nestmate resulted in increased locomotory rate and changes in the directional orientation of guard bees. Exposure to scent of a non -nestmate did not, however, increase the likelihood that sand non-nest mate would be attacked when placed with the guard. Observations of gua rd behavior at colony entrances indicated that guards discriminate nes tmates from non-nestmates with high efficiency.