Meeting Abstract

P2.10  Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30  Forensic Application of Honey Bee Foraging Strategies REDD, J.R.*; BARTHELL, J.F.; JOURDAN, T.; LORD, W.D.; LEVINSON, B.M.; University of Central Oklahoma; University of Central Oklahoma; University of Central Oklahoma; University of Central Oklahoma; University of California, San Diego jredd@uco.edu

This study sought to determine whether or not honey bee foraging can be redirected from floral attractants to carrion. Carrion odors were used for simulated carrion odor treatments. In the field, bees were trained to each odor in a series of treatments prior to experimentation by exposure to the odor at the mouth of the hive with gradual movement of the odor away from the hive until the distance was 25m. Three feeding stations were set equidistantly from the hives and each other. Two of the feeders consisted of a 1.5M sucrose solution and scent was added to the third feeder. At 20-minute intervals, the number of bees feeding at each station was tallied. Upon conclusion of the timed intervals, the stations were moved to the next location. This was repeated until the scented station had been in each feeding location. Separate trials took place at 25 and 50m. In the laboratory, proboscis extension response conditioning experiments were performed using each of the carrion odors paired with a sucrose reward as a positive stimulus and no scent as a negative stimulus. Following the conditioning, honey bees were placed in a y-tube to choose between a carrion scented arm and a non-scented arm. In the field, the bees showed a trend of visiting the feeder containing the scent to which they were trained. In the lab, conditioned honey bees chose the carrion odor in the y-tube. Within forensic science, animals have long been used to detect carrion. However, none have been as inexpensive and as easy to train as honeybees have the potential to be. Training honey bees to detect carrion would alleviate much of the time, cost, and energy required to train other animals.