Defense posture in the dwarf honeybee, Apis florea

Christian W.W. Pirk; Randall Hepburn; Sarah E. Radloff; Johan Erlandsson

doi:doi:10.1051/apido:2002019

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Volume 33 / No 3 (May-June 2002)

Apidologie, 33 3 (2002) 289-294

Abstract

Free Access

Issue		Apidologie Volume 33, Number 3, May-June 2002


Page(s)		289 - 294
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/apido:2002019

Apidologie 33 (2002) 289-294
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2002019

Defense posture in the dwarf honeybee, Apis florea

Christian W.W. Pirk^a, Randall Hepburn^a, Sarah E. Radloff^b and Johan Erlandsson^a

^a Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, 6140 Grahamstown, Republic of South Africa
^b Department of Statistics, Rhodes University, 6140 Grahamstown, Republic of South Africa

(Received 12 October 2001; revised 15 January 2002; accepted 16 January 2002)

Abstract
The defense postures of colonies of Apis florea were analysed sequentially before and after applications of smoke as an alarm stimulus. Significant changes in body posture and orientation occur following an alerting stimulus: the bees expose their abdomens and pack more closely together on the comb.

Key words: Apis florea / defence / alarm / behaviour

Correspondence and reprints: Christian W.W. Pirk
e-mail: C.Pirk@ru.ac.za

© INRA, EDP Sciences, DIB, AGIB 2002