Individual bumblebees vary in response to disturbance: a test of the defensive reserve hypothesis

• Published in: Insectes sociaux Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 313 - 321
• Main Authors: Jandt, J. M., Robins, N. S., Moore, R. E., Dornhaus, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel 01.08.2012; Birkhäuser
• Subjects: Animal ethology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bombus impatiens; Carbon dioxide; Colonies; Entomology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Guarding behavior; Life Sciences; Nests; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Research Article; Vibrations; Workers; Activity level; Bumblebees; Defense reserve hypothesis; Defensive response; Spatial organization; Insecta; Defensive behavior; Apidae; Animal activity; Apoidea; Arthropoda; Bombus impatiens; Colony; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aculeata

Bees may leave their nest in the event of an attack, but this is not their only response. Here, we examine the behavior of those individuals that remain inside the nest during a disturbance. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that bee workers usually exhibiting high levels of inactivity (i.e., ‘la...