Genetic, developmental, and environmental determinants of honey bee foraging behavior

Abstract

Honeybees forage for pollen, nectar, water, and propolis. The decision of an individual to forage either for nectar or pollen, the foraging rate, load size, and recruitment behavior are influenced by its genotype, development, and the internal conditions of the colony. The collective activities of foragers build the intake rate of the colony, which influences the major stimulus factors determining pollen foraging behavior: the quantities of stored pollen and brood. The current knowledge of the functional pathways from genes through neu-rophysiological process to individual behavior that serve as the determinants for social behavior are presented.