| Title | Preferences and tradeoffs in nectar temperature and nectar concentration in the Asian hive bee Apis cerana |
| Author | Tan, Ken |
| Publication | BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Corresponding Author | Oldroyd, BP |
| Abstract | Honey bee foragers need to asses and make trade-offs between a number of potentially conflicting floral attributes. Here, we investigate multi-attribute decision making in the eastern honey bee, Apis cerana, when foraging on food sources that varied in warmth and sucrose concentration. We show that foragers prefer warm (30 A degrees C) sucrose solution over cool (10 A degrees C) sucrose solution and concentrated (30 % w/w) sucrose solution over dilute (15 % w/w) sucrose solution. When we offered the preferred sucrose concentration (30 % w/w) at the less-preferred temperature (10 A degrees C), and the less-preferred sucrose concentration (15 % w/w) at the preferred temperature (30 A degrees C), foragers prioritized warmth by choosing the warmer, but lower concentration solution. When the temperature difference was less extreme, bees preferred more concentrated cooler syrup (30 % ww at 15 A degrees C over 15 % 30 A degrees C). However, the addition of a decoy item to the choice set had a significant effect on the bees' preferences. Our results highlight the critical importance of considering context effects when measuring the foraging preferences of animals. |
