Foraging and Dancing

Question 1

How do flowering plants attract bees?

Answer 1

• visual cues (long distance)
• scent cues (short distance)
• shapes
• nectar guides in UV light

Question 2

What are the two ways that bees find flowers?

Answer 2

1. Scouting themselves
2. Recruited by a dancing bee

Question 3

What is flower constancy or fidelity and why is it useful?

Answer 3

• when bees forage on a single flower species
• specialization leads to efficiency
• ensures bees carry pollen from one flower to another of the same species

Question 4

How many bees go out to collect nectar vs pollen? How many bees collect both?

Answer 4

Nectar: 65%
Pollen: 20%
Both: 15%
- may be altered according to colony needs

Question 5

What is nectar made up of

Answer 5

20-50% sugar (sucrose)
Rest is mostly water

Question 6

What nutritional components make up nectar?

Answer 6

• minerals
• proteins
• volatile oils
• sugars

Question 7

What factors can affect nectar secretion in plants?

Answer 7

• soil moisture
• solar radiation
• sugars produced through photosynthesis

Question 8

What time of day do plants secrete the most nectar?
a) morning
b) morning - afternoon
c) afternoon
d) afternoon - evening
e) evening

Answer 8

b) morning - afternoon
- sometimes plants will secrete nectar only at specific hours

Question 9

How do bees collect nectar?

Answer 9

Inserting their proboscis into the flower’s nectaries

Question 10

What is the average nectar load? What’s the maximum nectar load?

Answer 10

Average: 30 mg
Max: 70 mg

Question 11

How long do bees spend foraging?

Answer 11

• each trip is usually 40 mins
• bees usually take 10 foraging trips/day

Question 12

Where is pollen produced in flowers?

Answer 12

The anthers

Question 13

What are the male and female reproductive parts of plants that bees help pollinate?

Answer 13

Pollen is the male reproductive cells
The stigmas are the female reproductive organs, lead to flower’s ovaries

Question 14

What time is pollen most available during the day?

Answer 14

Early morning - early afternoon

Question 15

How do bees collect pollen?

Answer 15

• crawl on anthers to dislodge pollen with tongue/mandibles
• hair on bees is branched and positively charged, picks up pollen easily

Question 16

How much does an average pollen load weigh?

Answer 16

~ 20 mg (10 mg per leg)

Question 17

How long does a pollen foraging trip usually take?

Answer 17

~ 20 mins per trip, but very variable

Question 18

How do bees unload pollen after foraging?

Answer 18

• puts hind legs into cell, and removes pollen
• food processing bee pushes pollen pellets to bottom of cell
• add honey and saliva to stored pollen to make bee bread

Question 19

Why do bees collect water?

Answer 19

• used to cool hive
• used to dilute honey for feeding

Question 20

True or false: robbing behaviour is a type of foraging?

Answer 20

True

Question 21

Who described and interpreted honey bee dances?

Answer 21

Karl von Frisch

Question 22

What types of dances do honey bees perform?

Answer 22

• round dance
• wagtail dance
• sickle dance

Question 23

What does the round dance communicate?

Answer 23

Food is <80m from hive

Question 24

How is the round dance performed?

Answer 24

Narrow circles in both directions

Question 25

How is the wagtail dance performed?

Answer 25

• narrow semi circles to the right or left
• then sharp turn and move in a straight line
• another semi circle left or right
• then moves in straight line over initial path
• during straight line part, bee wiggles abdomen

Question 26

What does the wagtail dance in honey bees communicate?

Answer 26

• food is >80m from hive
• direction of food source
• quality

Question 27

True or false: the more circuits of dancing per unit time, the further the food source

Answer 27

False
The faster the circuits, the closer the food source is to the hive