The Foraging Behavior of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera, L.),1st Edition

No. of pages: 250

Published: October 24, 2023

Imprint: Academic Press

Paperback ISBN: 9780323917933

Description

The Foraging Behavior of the Honeybee (Apis mellifera, L.) provides a scholarly resource for knowledge on the regulation, communication, resource allocation, learning and characteristics of honeybee foraging behavior at the individual and colony level. Foraging, in this context, is the exploration of the environment around a honey bee hive and the collection of resources (pollen, nectar, water, etc.) by bees in the worker caste of a colony. Honeybees have the unique ability to balance conflicting and changing resource needs in rapidly changing environments, thus their characterization as “superorganisms” made up of individuals who act in the interest of the whole.

This book explores the fascinating world of honey bees in their struggle to obtain food and resources in the ecosystem and environment around the hive. Written by a team of international experts on honey bee behavior and ecology, this book covers current and historical knowledge, research methods and modeling used in the field of study and includes estimates of key parameters of energy utilization, quantities of materials collected, and identifies inconsistencies or gaps in current knowledge in the field.

Key features

Establishes a basis of current knowledge on honeybees to build and advance understanding of their foraging behavior

Addresses stressors such as habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, pests and diseases

Presents concise concepts that facilitate direct traceability to the original underlying research

Table of contents

Cover image

Title page

Table of Contents

Copyright

Contributors

Chapter 1: Introduction

Abstract

Historical perspective

Scope and approach

Evolution and taxonomy

Social order—Population dynamics and self-assembly

Ontogeny—The making of a forager bee

Nutrition and provisioning of foragers

Regulation of foraging activity

Terminology related to the state of the colony

Ecosystem-level interactions of honey bee pollinators

Conclusions

References

Chapter 2: Honey bee adaptations for foraging

Abstract

Introduction

External anatomy of foraging

Ontogeny

Learning and memory

Foraging biochemistry

Lifespan

Conclusions

References

Chapter 3: Social foraging of the honey bee colony

Abstract

The evolutionary advantages of group foraging

Genetic influences on foraging

Regulatory networks—Colony-level control and signaling pathways for foraging

Colony-level collective foraging

Recruitment and communication

Forager specialization

Stochastic processes in honey bee collective foraging

Demography of foraging

References

Chapter 4: Navigation: Cognition, learning, and memory

Abstract

What is navigation for a bee?

A long history of research

The navigational toolkit

Visual guidance during a foraging trip

How do bees encode space?

Concluding remarks

References

Chapter 5: Energetics of foraging

Abstract

The complex equation of the energetic balance

Foraging is energetically costly

Behavioral tricks to maximize energy gains

Conclusions

References

Chapter 6: Honey bee pollination ecology

Abstract

General introduction on honey bee foraging

Constancy

Pollinator attraction

Manipulation, pollen, and nectar

Coevolution and pollinator-mediated selection on floral traits

Sensitivity thresholds and the ability to perceive reward quality

Biochemistry of plant-pollinator interactions

Predator detection

Conclusions

References

Chapter 7: Modeling and analysis of honey bee foraging behavior

Abstract

Modeling concepts and terminology

Selected models used in the study of honey bee foraging

Models of forager orientation, navigation, and search pattern

Conclusions and future directions

References

Chapter 8: Managed foraging for honey and crop pollination—Honey bees as livestock

Abstract

Importance of honey bees for crop pollination, food security, and economy

Advantages of using honey bees for crop pollination

Honey bee hive density and colony standards for crop pollination

Challenges faced by honey bees during crop pollination

Competition/interactions between honey bees and native bees

Strategies to enhance bee foraging, pollination, and bee health

The organization/structure of migratory beekeeping in the United States and impacts of migratory beekeeping

References

Chapter 9: Knowledge gaps and future directions for honey bee research

Abstract

Improvements in terminology

Neurophysiology

Models: The individual agent hypothesis

Agroeconomic and ecological factors: Beekeeping, climate, and landscape

Conclusions

References

Glossary

References

Index

About the editor

John Purdy

Dr. John Purdy is a corporate environmental consultant and research scientist for Abacus Consulting Services in Canada. He received his MSc in Chemistry and Forestry, then his PhD in Chemistry, both from the University of Toronto. His work includes ground-breaking research on environmental behavior and modeling of pesticides, ecotoxicology, and effects of pesticides on bees. His primary research interests are honey bees and other insect pollinators. Dr. Purdy is a co-chair of the annual pollinator risk assessment of the American Chemical Society, a member of the International Commission for Plant Pollinator Relationships, and more.

Affiliations and expertise

Corporate environmental consultant and research scientist for Abacus Consulting Services, Canada