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Honey bees choosing a home prefer previously occupied cavities

Schwarmbienen auf Wohnungsuche bevorzugen vormals bewohnte Brutkästen

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Summary

Given a choice between nesting in boxes which had been previously occupied by bees, containing comb, and boxes never occupied, honey bees (Apis mellifera) show a significant (p=0.032) preference for the previously occupied cavities. This behavior may be adaptive in terms of energetic savings to a new colony, or cavities with comb may simply be more conspicous.

Zusammenfassung

Honigbienen (Apis mellifera) bevorzugen ehemals bewohnte Brutkästen bei der Wahl zwischen noch nie benutzten und vormals von Bienen bewohnten Brutkästen mit Wabe (p=0.032). Dieses Verhalten ist möglicherweise adaptiv in Bezug auf Energieersparnis, verglichen mit einer neuen Kolonie. Die Wahl eines vormals bewohnten Brutkästens könnte jedoch den einfachen Grund haben, daß bereits benutzte Brükästen mit Wabe für die Bienen auffälliger und leichter zu finden sind.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY

    P. K. Visscher & R. A. Morse

  2. Department of Biology, Yale University, 06511, New Haven, CT

    T. D. Seeley

Authors
  1. P. K. Visscher
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  2. R. A. Morse
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  3. T. D. Seeley
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Visscher, P.K., Morse, R.A. & Seeley, T.D. Honey bees choosing a home prefer previously occupied cavities. Ins. Soc 32, 217–220 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224236

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224236

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