Social Transmission Of Nectar-robbing Behaviour In Bumblebees

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 18 Apr 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Recent studies have found that insects, despite their small brains, can learn about their environment through interaction with others.

However, the possibility that such learning might extend to skills, in addition to simple facts, has never been tested. Here, we show that a bumblebee foraging skill can be transmitted socially. Nectar-robbing occurs when bees bite through the base of flowers to "steal" nectar without pollination.

We found that naïve individuals learn to rob more quickly if they are allowed to visit flowers that others have robbed. Thus, once initiated by one individual, nectar robbing may spread quickly to other bees.

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.
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The Royal Society