An automated apparatus for conditioning proboscis extension in honey bees,Apis mellifera L.

An apparatus is described for the study of classical conditioning of probos cis extension in harnessed honey bees, Apis mellifera L., that permits auto matic programming of events and recording of data. The apparatus is easy to use, accommodates a wide range of stimuli and can be used to study both as sociative and nonassociative learning. The technique was evaluated in a ser ies of experiments in which the performance of bees was compared under auto mated and traditional methods of conditioning. The results indicated that t he automated apparatus can successfully be used to study Pavlovian conditio ning, discrimination learning, and habituation. A unique finding was that t he odor of honeycomb can serve as an unconditioned stimulus to support Pavl ovian conditioning.