Response of workers (Apis mellifera carnica Pollm.) by proboscis extension to queen extract odour before conditioning procedure

Abstract

We investigated the proboscis extension response (PER) of worker bees Apis mellifera carnica Pollm. to the odour of the mated honeybee queen’s extract (dose of 0.001 queen equivalent). The experiments were carried out in April–August 2001 and 2002. In total, 542 workers were studied. The experimental results show that the honey bee queen extract (dose, 0.001 queen equivalent) odour elicited proboscis extension response (PER) even in 40% (on average in 20.8%) of workers before the conditioning procedure. The changes occurring in the honeybee colony over April–August had no influence on the average number of odour stimulations required for eliciting PER and to the average number of responses elicited by repeated stimulations. However, they influenced on the level (the number of individuals) of PER. The PER that elicits the honeybee queen extract before the conditioning procedure cannot be regarded as spontaneous, because the experimentor can change its level by artificial means (removing part of young workers from honeybee colony). Keywords: Apis mellifera carnica, olfactory stimulus, proboscis extension response (PER), conditioning, honeybee queen pheromone