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Selective modulation of task performance by octopamine in honey bee (Apis mellifera) division of labour

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Abstract

Octopamine treatment has previously been shown to increase honey bee foraging behaviour. We determined the effects of octopamine on other tasks to learn how octopamine affects division of labour in honey bee colonies. Octopamine treatment did not increase the rate of corpse removal from the hive, suggesting that elevated brain levels of octopamine do not act to increase the performance of all flight-related tasks. Octopamine treatment also did not increase attendance in the queen’s retinue, suggesting that elevated brain levels of octopamine do not act to increase responsiveness to all olfactory stimuli. Consistent with these findings, octopamine treatment enhanced the foraging response to brood pheromone but not the cell capping response, a component of brood care. These results demonstrate a relatively specific form of neuromodulation by octopamine in the regulation of division of labour in honey bee colonies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Karen Pruiett for expert beekeeping assistance, Spencer Beard and Charina Cameron for field assistance, and Christina M. Grozinger, David J. Schulz and Amy L. Toth for reviewing the manuscript. This work was supported by NSF grant IBN-0212371 to G.E.R.

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  1. Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, 505 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Andrew B. Barron & Gene E. Robinson

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  1. Andrew B. Barron
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  2. Gene E. Robinson
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Correspondence to Gene E. Robinson.

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Barron, A.B., Robinson, G.E. Selective modulation of task performance by octopamine in honey bee (Apis mellifera) division of labour. J Comp Physiol A 191, 659–668 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-005-0619-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-005-0619-7

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