Associative learning in honey bees

Abstract

In the context of foraging behaviour Apis mellifera perform both latent (or observatory) and associative learning. Latent learning plays an important role in spatial orientation and learning during dance communication. In associative learning, stimuli experienced immediately before the reward (usually sucrose solution) are memorized for the guidance of future behaviour. The classical conditioning of olfactory stimulii is a very effective form of learning in bees and has helped to describe the behavioural and physiological basis of memory formation. Memory needs time to be established and is processed in sequential phases. -from Author