HONEYBEE VISION - ANALYSIS OF ORIENTATION AND COLOR IN THE LATERAL, DORSAL AND VENTRAL FIELDS OF VIEW

The ability of honeybees (Apis mellifera) to learn and recognise perip herally presented patterns was investigated by training bees in a Y-ma ze which presented patterns on the side walls, the ceiling or the floo r. We found that pattern orientation is learnt and recognised in the l ateral and frontal visual field, but not in the dorsal or ventral fiel ds. Colour information, in contrast, is used in the lateral and fronta l as well as the ventral visual field, but not in the dorsal field. If pattern orientation is different on opposite sides of the visual fiel d during training, both patterns are learned, but each on its own is s ufficient for the bees to recognise the learnt stimulus. However, unil aterally learnt pattern information, be it orientation or colour, cann ot be accessed when the test pattern is viewed on the other side. That is, interocular transfer of such information does not occur.