Abstract
Honeybees in colonies with 6.36-m2 surface area of empty comb responded faster to moving targets and stung the targets more often than bees from colonies with 3.18-m2 surface area of empty honeycomb. The two groups did not differ significantly in speed of response to alarm pheromone or in number of bees defending the colony. Volatiles from the comb are suggested as primer pheromones for defensive behavior.
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Collins, A.M., Rinderer, T.E. Effect of empty comb on defensive behavior of honeybees. J Chem Ecol 11, 333–338 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01411419
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01411419