Recognition of conspecifics by honeybee guards uses nonheritable cues acquired in the adult stage

Social insects use both environmental and heritable (genetic) recognition c ues when discriminating between nestmates and non-nestmates. In honeybees, Apis mellifera, both types of recognition cues are used, although their rel ative importance depends upon context, experimental design and environmenta l factors. Our aim in this study was to investigate which cues honeybees us e to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates under natural conditi ons. To do this, we used an assay of nestmate recognition that very closely simulated natural conditions, with naturally occurring guards at actual ne st entrances and workers that had been naturally reared and had spent their adult life in a hive. Guards exclusively used environmental recognition cu es when encountering entering bees. There was no evidence that guards used heritable cues: related nestmates and unrelated nestmates, unrelated non-ne stmates and related non-nestmates all had the same probability of being acc epted (ca. 80 versus 20%). Possible reasons why heritable cues are not used are discussed. (C) 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.