TROPHALLAXIS IN THE HONEYBEE, APIS-MELLIFERA (L) AS RELATED TO THE PROFITABILITY OF FOOD SOURCES

Trophallaxis by honeybees was studied in two series of experiments. Honeybees were fed to satiation with sucrose solutions from 10 to 50% w/w (sugar concentration experiment), or with different amounts of a 50% w/w sucrose solution (crop load experiment). By increasing the concentration of solutions, the transfer rate was increased up to a maximum value for the 30-40% sucrose solution. With increasing crop load, maximum transfer rate was attained for satiated bees. The amount of sucrose transferred during trophallactic contact was related to the amount of sucrose carried in the honey sac for both experimental series. Results are discussed in relation to the foraging and recruiting patterns displayed by foragers. © 1991 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.