Presentation Details
| Waggle Dance Communication Reveals How Honey Bees Navigate Early-Season Resources in Agricultural Landscapes Wade Pike, Clare Rittschof. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA |
Abstract
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) communicate profitable floral resources through the waggle dance, allowing inference of colony-level foraging across landscapes. The late-winter–early-spring (LWES) period is a critical transition, as overwintered foragers must locate patchy, unpredictable resources to support colony growth. Despite its importance, landscape-scale foraging during this period remains poorly understood. Previous work suggests proximity to croplands with winter annuals may improve colony growth. Here, we use waggle dance decoding and landscape analysis to examine how foragers prioritize resources during LWES. Observation hives were placed at sites with high or low winter annual abundance (N=3 per group). Winter annual abundance was quantified using quadrat sampling within 200 m of each hive. We decoded 12 hours of waggle dances to estimate foraging direction and distance. Ongoing analyses map decoded vectors onto landscapes using ground surveys, ArcGIS, and NLCD data to identify visited resources. Results will identify preferred landscape features and test whether foraging shifts with near-hive winter annual abundance.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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