Quantification of the Movement Patterns of Bees: A Novel Method

The use of an artificial "flower" patch for quantifying the movement patterns of bees, employing a computer-generated patch of artificial "flowers," is described, providing considerable versatility that is useful for answering myriad questions related to the foraging behavior of bees.

Abstract

A new method, employing a computer-generated patch of artificial flowers, is described for investigating the foraging patterns of nectar-collecting insects, particularly bees. Many aspects of the patch can be varied and manipulated according to requirements, including the density and spatial distribution, and the spatial pattern, quality and quantity of the nectar. The bees' movement patterns be- tween flowers are easily recorded and subsequently quantified. Data for honeybees are compared to data obtained in the field. The method is concluded to be a suitable alter- native to some field methods. of pollen flow in agricultural and natural pollination systems. The paucity of these kinds of data is doubtless due to the difficulty in satisfactorily quantifying important attributes of the flowers such as density and distribution and the abundance and distribution of the rewards, i.e., nectar and pollen. Additionally, the parameters that define the bees' movement patterns among flowers?the flight dis- tance and direction?are difficult to measure and at best must be considered estimates. To answer some questions it is desirable to manipulate floral attributes (e.g., density, nectar concentration or distribution, etc.) ; such manipulations are cumber- some or impossible in the field. In this paper I describe the use of an artificial flower patch for quantifying the movement patterns of bees. The method provides considerable versatility that is useful for answering myriad questions related to the foraging behavior of bees. Control of nearly all aspects of the patch is possible. I have employed the method for studies on the honeybee (Apis mellifera); however, the same or a similar design will probably serve for studying other bees, including bumblebees (B. Heinrich, pers. comm.) and sweat bees, as well as other nectar-collecting insects. Quantitative data obtained at the patch will be compared to field data gleaned from the literature. Description of the Flower Patch