Artificial Feeding as Stress Factor Affecting Wing Venation Symmetry of Worker Honeybees

Abstract

Directional and fluctuating asymmetry were estimated in worker bees fed on sugar syrups in comparison with feeding with honey (control). By using 25 traits of wing venation pattern on left and right forewing of worker honey bees, it could be stated that directional asymmetry (DA) was not related to the type of feeding. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), however, differed between characters and between feeding treatments, but no interaction was found between them. The individual characters were combined and analyzed as composite fluctuating asymmetry to maximize the probability of detecting (FA)-stress relationship when it exists. The result showed that (FA) of distances between vein junctions were significantly higher in sugar-feeding than in honey-feeding colonies.