Learning and Task Interference by Corpse‐removal Specialists in Honey Bee Colonies

Abstract

AbstractUndertakers are considered to be among the most specialized of pre‐foraging honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers. In this study we examined a possible benefit and a cost of the corpse‐rem oval specialty, the improvement in performance with experience, and interference by individuals attempting to perform the same task in the same location, respectively. Experienced bees removed corpses significantly faster than less experienced bees and also were less likely to drop corpses while exiting the hive (5.5% vs. 14.3% of attempts). Superior performance by experienced undertakers might occur as a consequence of learning, or by greater ability from the outset. Because active undertakers (≥ 3 corpse removals) did not improve with experience over their own careers, learning was not demonstrated. An extreme specialist, Yellow 54, removed a total of 114 corpses (33.8% of experimentally introduced dead bees) from the hive over a 13‐day period. This is the longest recorded tenure of undertaking to date and demonstrates how a few individuals can dominate this task in a honey bee colony‐Yellow 54 removed corpses significantly faster than other active bees, but she demonstrated no obvious improvement in performance over her undertaking career. This suggests the possibility that active undertakers were more talented than less active undertakers, irrespective of learning. When two undertakers worked together to remove a corpse from the hive, they took longer to complete the task than did single individuals. When multiple undertakers flew together from the hive, they were less likely to clear a nearby obstruction than single undertakers and were more likely to drop the corpse within 1 m of the hive. Thus, mutual interference exacted a measurable cost as a result of the undertaking specialization while learning provided few benefits.