Genetic, Developmental, and Environmental Determinants of Honey Bee Foraging Behavior

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97-28608 Genetic, Developmental and Environmental Determinants of Honey Bee Foraging R. E. Page, Jr. Non-Technical Summary Honeybee colonies are normally composed of a queen and thousands of non-reproductive workers. The workers demonstrate a division of labor for behavioral tasks resulting in the survival, maintenance, and reproduction of the colony. One of the most interesting examples is the division of labor between workers inside the nest raising brood, constructing wax comb, processing honey, etc. and those that forage outside the nest. This division of tasks is often related to a worker's age. Some foragers specialize further in collecting nectar and others in collecting only pollen. Honeybee colonies must respond to changing conditions in the environment, such as the availability of food, and they must respond to changes in colony needs, such as the amount of pollen protein needed to feed a growing colony. Genetic make up is also important. Bees with some genetic constitutions are more likely to forage for pollen under a specific set of environmental conditions than are individuals of a different genotype. Building on previous research, this project will employ molecular genetic methodology to examine the influence of identified genes on foraging specialization, and to comprehensively examine how the influences of these genes interact with developmental (age) effects and environmental conditions.