Timekeeping in the honey bee colony: integration of circadian rhythms and division of labor

Molecular Dynamics and Social Regulation of Context-Dependent Plasticity in the Circadian Clockwork of the Honey Bee

“…1 A). These observations are in line with previous studies of nurses (Crailsheim et al, 1996;Moore et al, 1998;Shemesh et al, 2007). By contrast, their same age full-sister bees that were caged on the broodless comb were significantly more active during the photophase (Fig.…”

“…Following the last observation, we collected 15-20 foragers of unknown age (foragers are typically older than 21 d of age, (Robinson, 1992), 15-20 nurses (6 -7 d of age), and 15-20 brood-deprived bees (same age as nurses) for analyses of locomotor activity (see below). Nurses and foragers were identified as in previous studies (Moore et al, 1998;). On day 9 we collected bees for mRNA analysis from 3 different groups of bees: (1) 7-d-old nurses, (2) 7-d-old brood-deprived workers, and (3) foragers of unknown age.…”

“…Honey bee workers show natural plasticity in circadian rhythms by switching between activities with or without circadian rhythms depending on their social role in the colony. "Nurses" tend the brood around-theclock with no circadian rhythms whereas the typically older foragers have strong circadian rhythms that are necessary for timing their visits to flowers and for time-compensated sun-compass orientation (for review, see Moore et al, 1998;Bloch, 2009). Worker bees may switch between nursing and foraging activities according to age and colony needs (Robinson, 1992).…”

Profile of Gene E. Robinson

“…''Either the colony operates as a factory where each individual bee is rhythmic but they work different shifts, or there is more of an 'undergraduate' model, where the bees work and rest randomly with respect to the 24-hour day.'' With the help of a bunch of energetic human undergraduates, Robinson marked specific bees and monitored them around the clock, finding that the ''undergraduate'' model held true, and young bees were arrhythmic in their work behavior (10). However, as they matured, the bees developed more noticeable biological rhythms.…”

Circadian Changes in Susceptibility of Young Honeybee Workers to Intoxication by Pyrethroid, Carbamate, Organophosphorus, Benzoyl Urea and Pyridine Derivative Insecticides

“…The amplitude of these changes is different in older workers carrying out flights (Moore and Rankin 1993;Moore et al 1989;Moore and Rankin 1985) and in young nest carers, cleaning the cells and looking after larvae and the queen (Huang and Otis 1991;Nijland and Hepburn 1985;Spangler 1972). At the same time, it is assumed that the cyclicity in bees is primarily dependent upon colony synchronisation and not upon the cycle of a single individual (Moore et al 1998;Frisch and Koeniger 1994).…”