Food restriction and threat of predation affect visual pattern choices by flower-naïve bumblebees

Single bumblebee leaving colony for first time seeks company

For social learning to occur in bumblebees, individuals must first be drawn to the relevant stimuli from which to learn. Here we investigate whether bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) leaving their colony for the first time are drawn to other live bees. In Experiment 1, flower-naïve workers were tested for their preferences of stimuli presented in a radial maze. Live bees, artificial floral patterns and black disks were presented at two different densities (1 vs 6 objects). A marked preference for the six live bees was obtained. Experiment 2 isolated the variable of movement: black disks vs dead bees were presented on a platform that was either stationary or rotating. A preference for moving over stationary displays was obtained, as well as a preference for displays comprising bees rather than disks. Flower-naïve bumblebees leave their nest equipped with behavioural tendencies that can serve to initiate new social encounters from which to learn.