DOI: 10.1051/apido:2007025 Original article Comparative nestmate recognition in Asian honey bees, Apis

Abstract – In nestmate recognition bioassays, Apis florea, A andreniformis, A. dorsata and A. cerana do not exhibit aggressive responses. These negative results were obtained using three distinct techniques: pairings of bees between colonies, switching nest box locations (A. cerana only), and treatment with compounds known to serve as nestmate recognition pheromones in A. mellifera. This is in sharp contrast to previously observed responses in A. mellifera, which displays strong aggressive responses to conspecific non-nestmates in the same types of bioassays. A. cerana expresses nestmate recognition, but only under limited circum-stances – when robbing is precipitated by honey harvesting or the merger of colonies by a beekeeper. Our results suggest that robbing of stored food may be more characteristic of A. mellifera than other species in the genus Apis, and consequently A. mellifera displays a more strongly developed response to conspecific non-nestmates than other Apis species. nestmate recognition / Apis / defensive behavior 1