Recruitment behavior in stingless bees, Melipona scutellaris and M. quadrifasciata. I. Foraging at food sources differing in direction and distance

Abstract

The two stingless bee species Melipona scutellaris and M. quadrifasciata recruit nestmates to a rich foraging site. We tested this with feeders up to 140 m away from the hive. Foragers of M. scutellaris communicated direction (up to 140 m) more accurately than distance (up to 30 m) whereas those of M. quadrifasciata communicated direction only up to 30 m and distance up to 40 m. Our data indicate that in both species recruitment is divided into two temporal phases. Whereas in an initial phase alarmed nestmates search for food at random, bees leaving the hive in the following phase are obviously provided with information about its specific location. As a consequence after 35 minutes (M. scutellaris) and 85 minutes (M. quadrifasciata), respectively, significantly more newcomers arrive at the feeder than at an identical control feeder. The differences found in the recruitment success of M. scutellaris and M. quadrifasciata are discussed in regard to the different demands of their natural habitats.