Abstract: Worker honey bees exhibit a “group” activity known as washboarding on the internal and external surfaces near the hive entrance. “Washboarding” bees can be observed with their heads down, racking their mandibles over the substrate while rocking back and forth on their second and third pairs of legs. This behavior is believed to be associated with general cleaning activities but virtually nothing is known as to the age of worker engaged in the behavior, under what circumstances workers washboard and the function of the behavior. We investigated the effects of surface texture, cross-fostering and worker age on the propensity of worker bees to washboard. Our multiple hypotheses were 1) Washboarding behavior may change in response to surface texture, 2) Washboarding behavior may be in response to worker genetics or the environment, 3) Worker age may affect task performance. There was a strong age related effect with marked worker bees washboarding at 13 days of age, with a peak in washboarding occurring when workers were 15-25 days of age. The effects of cross-fostering and surface texture on washboarding behavior will be discussed.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Apidae Apis mellifera (honey bee)
Keywords: social insects
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