Honey bees navigate according to a map-like spatial memory

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0408550102
• Publication Date: 2005-02-15T01:24:30Z
• Authors: Randolf Menzel; Uwe Greggers; Alan Smith; Sandra Berger; Robert Brandt; Sascha Brunke; Gesine Bundrock; Sandra Hülse; Tobias Plümpe; Frank Schaupp; Elke Schüttler; Silke Stach; Jan Stindt; Nicola Stollhoff; Sebastian Watzl
• Keywords: Homing (biology)

By using harmonic radar, we report the complete flight paths of displaced bees. Test bees forage at a feeder or are recruited by waggle dance indicating feeder. The flights recorded after captured when leaving hive and released an unexpected release site. A sequence behavioral routines become apparent: ( i ) initial straight in which they fly course that were on (foraging bees) learned during communication (recruited bees); ii slow search with frequent changes direction attempt to “get their bearings”; iii rapid directed either first feeding station then hive. These homing start locations all around distances far out visual catchment area station. Two essential criteria map-like spatial memory met these results: can set any arbitrary location familiar area, choose between least two goals. This finding suggests rich, organization navigating honey