Responsiveness to sucrose affects tactile and olfactory learning in preforaging honey bees of two genetic strains

Using sucrose solution as reward, we conditioned preforaging honey bees of two genetic strains to tactile stimuli or to odours. Acquisition, extinctio n of conditioned responses and discrimination between the conditioned stimu li and alternative tactile or olfactory stimuli were measured. Bees of the two genetic strains were selected for their foraging behaviour. In addition , they differ in their responsiveness to sucrose. To analyse the effects of sucrose perception on learning parameters independent of foraging behaviou r, we conditioned preforaging bees of the two strains and compared their pe rformance in tactile and olfactory learning paradigms. In both strains, acq uisition in tactile and olfactory conditioning is determined by responsiven ess to sucrose. There is no genetic effect on the relationship between resp onsiveness to sucrose and acquisition. Bees responding to low sucrose conce ntrations perform better than ones that only respond to higher concentratio ns. Extinction of conditioned responses correlates with acquisition. Respon ses to alternative stimuli are independent of responsiveness to sucrose. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.