Science updates: Food alternatives & honey bees

 

Science updates:

Food alternatives & honey bees

 


The study investigates the factors influencing risk-prone feeding behavior in honey bees, specifically examining whether the absence of food alternatives or the bees' energy budget drives their willingness to consume unpalatable or noxious substances. The research was carried out on late-fall and winter honey bees, focusing on their survival rates after ingesting various mixtures of sucrose solution with noxious substances like quinine, salicin, and NaCl.

 

The findings indicate that honey bees prefer pure sucrose solution over mixtures containing noxious substances, regardless of their energy budget. However, when presented with a single feeding option and limited escape possibilities, bees consumed previously rejected mixtures, suggesting a state of "feeding helplessness." This behavior implies that bees may accept less desirable food when no better options are available, which could have implications for agricultural practices and the food sources available to pollinators.

 


The study also highlights that the consumption of non-preferred food by honey bees is more dependent on the availability of food choices than on their energy budget.

 

The research suggests that the feeding behavior of bees is adaptable but constrained by the need to survive, with bees avoiding truly toxic substances like NaCl even when no alternative is offered.  The authors discuss the potential ecological and conservational implications of their findings, noting that the decline of honeybee colonies may be linked to reduced plant diversity in agricultural landscapes, which could lead to increased acceptance of unpalatable or toxic foods by bees. They call for further research at the colony and field levels to test these hypotheses.

 


 

 In summary, the study by Desmedt et al. provides insights into the feeding behavior of honey bees, demonstrating that the absence of food alternatives can lead to risk-prone feeding behavior, and emphasizing the importance of diverse food sources for pollinator health and survival.

 


Reference:

Desmedt, L., Hotier, L., Giurfa, M., Velarde, R., & de Brito Sanchez, M. G. (2016). Absence of food alternatives promotes risk-prone feeding of unpalatable substances in honey bees. Scientific reports, 6(1), 31809.

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