Meeting Abstract

P2-103  Sunday, Jan. 5  The Effect Of Extended Training Cap Pushing Response, Extinction In Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera) PRETENDS EAGLE, TJ*; DE JESUS-SOTO, MG; RODRIGUEZ, SD; FLETCHER, SJ; PENTANIDOU, T; TSCHEULIN, T; BARTHELL, J; GIRAY, T; ABRAMSON, CI; North Dakota State University; University of Puerto Rico; Saint Philips College; South East Oklahoma State University; University of the Aegean; University of the Aegean; University of Central Oklahoma; University of Puerto Rico; Oklahoma State University troy.pretendseagle@ndsu.edu

This experiment provides data on a conditioning procedure for free flying honey bees. We look at the effect of extended training on extinction of the cap pushing response. Twenty-eight bees were captured from a 10 % sucrose solution artificial feeder and trained to platform with a well of 50% sucrose solution. Bees are trained to push a cap to reveal the hidden food source. They were randomly divided into one of two groups consisting of 14 bees each. The two groups were differentiated based on the number of training trials, with one group receiving 6 trials and the other 12 trials before each group received a 10-minute extinction session in which the food well was switched to tap water. The dependent variable was the number of target landings, the number of cap touches, and the number of cap pushes. Both groups displayed similar outcomes in average cumulative data. They both landed on the platform the most; touched the cap second most, and pushed the cap the least. Moreover, the majority of bees trained with twelve trials, stopped returning to the target during extinction much faster than the bees who received the six training trials. This research was supported by NSF REU grant 1560389 and NSF PIRE grant 1545803 and performed at Skala Kalloni Greece.