Meeting Abstract
59.3 Saturday, Jan. 5 Effects of experimental wing wear on standard and maximal flight performance in the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) VANCE, Jason T.*; ROBERTS, Stephen P.; Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas jason.vance@unlv.edu
The wings of bees and other insects degrade over time, which affects foraging behavior and increases mortality. Wing wear has negligible effects on metabolic rate, and thus its effects on behavior and mortality are possibly due to compromised flight ability. In this study, we investigated how experimental wing wear affects flight performance in honey bees, which were sorted into 1 of 3 treatment groups: control, symmetric and asymmetric wing wear. Wing wear was simulated via clipping the distal-trailing edge of the wing(s). Bees were flown in variable-density gasses ranging from air (21% O2, 79% N2; 1.21 kg m-3) to heliox (21% O2, 79% He; 0.41 kg m-3), and performance in the minimal gas density allowing hovering flight (MGD) was assumed as maximal flight capacity. Wingbeat frequency, stroke amplitude, and wingtip velocity were determined from high-speed (4348 fps) digital video recordings of flight in air and MGD. Compared to bees with intact wings, wingbeat frequency in the symmetric and asymmetric wear groups decreased by 6% and 13%, respectively, during hovering in air; however, stroke amplitude in both experimental groups exceeded that of control bees by 16%. During flight in the MGD, wingbeat frequency, stroke amplitude, and wing-tip velocity were not different between groups. Bees with intact wings were capable of flying in 34% and 52% less dense gas than the symmetric and asymmetric wear groups, respectively. The asymmetric group had only 1/2 the combined wing area loss as the symmetric group, yet asymmetric wear caused a greater impairment of flight performance. These results suggest that wing wear affects both aerodynamic power production and control of hovering flight, which likely reduce the capacity to carry loads, maneuver, and evade predators.
