COMPARATIVE RATES OF RECRUITMENT TO POLLEN SOURCES BY AFRICANIZED AND EUROPEAN HONEY BEES (APIS MELLIFERA L.)

Abstract

The use of recruitment by Africanized and European honey bee pollen foragers was studied. Comparisons were made of rate of initiation, duration, and tempo of recruitment dances, the number of recruits following dancers, and number of pollen sources visited. Rate of recruitment (the product of rate of dance initiation and number of followers per dancer) to pollen sources was higher in European colonies, due mostly to a higher rate of dance initiation in European colonies. Dance tempo was faster for Africanized foragers. Duration of dances and number of resources used were each similar for the two bee types.