Francis L.W. Ratnieks | University of Sussex - Inglaterra

Resumo

Social insect nests normally have entrance guards that prevent entry by both allospecific and conspecific intruders. Social bees, including the honey bee and most stingless bees, have guards that patrol the entrance area on foot. The stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula also has guards that hover on either side of the nest entrance. Previous research has shown that the hovering guards detect allospecific intruders that produce volatile odours or have a different colour to the yellow T. angustula workers, and that the standing guards detect conspecific intruders after contacting them with their antennae. The project will investigate the relationship between these two groups of guards, addressing three questions: 1) Is there division of labour between hovering and standing guards? 2) What cues are detected and used by hovering and standing guards in the recognition of intruders? 3) How does having both hovering and standing guards improve nest defence? (AU)