Abstract
Absconding behavior was investigated in a naturally occurring population of honey bees in the Okavango River Delta, Botswana. Fifty percent of all colonies excavated in the field between October and December had abandoned the nest or were preparing for absconding, suggesting that an “absconding season” began in the Delta in October or November. However, the factors influencing absconding during this period were unclear, and there were no distinct differences in nest characteristics of the absconding and nonabsconding colonies. Waggle dance activity in observation colonies preparing for absconding was not used to preselect a specific nest site prior to departure. However, in two of the three colonies examined recruitment activity indicated the general direction of colony travel. The distances indicated by these dancers ranged between 6 and 16 km. Since these distances were three to four times greater than those communicated by dancers in nonabsconding colonies, workers from absconding colonies may sample potential forage or nest sites well outside their regular foraging range.
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Schneider, S.S. Nest characteristics and recruitment behavior of absconding colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in Africa. J Insect Behav 3, 225–240 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01417914
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01417914