Greggers Uwe, Schöning Caspar, Degen Jacqueline, Menzel Randolf
Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Naturwissenschaften. 2013 Aug;100(8):805-9. doi: 10.1007/s00114-013-1077-7. Epub 2013 Jun 28.
Harmonic radar tracking was used to record the flights of scout bees during takeoff and initial flight path of two honeybee swarms. One swarm remained intact and performed a full flight to a destination beyond the range of the harmonic radar, while a second swarm disintegrated within the range of the radar and most of the bees returned to the queen. The initial stretch of the full flight is characterized by accelerating speed, whereas the disintegrating swarm flew steadily at low speed. The two scouts in the swarm displaying full flight performed characteristic flight maneuvers. They flew at high speed when traveling in the direction of their destination and slowed down or returned over short stretches at low speed. Scouts in the disintegrating swarm did not exhibit the same kind of characteristic flight performance. Our data support the streaker bee hypothesis proposing that scout bees guide the swarm by traveling at high speed in the direction of the new nest site for short stretches of flight and slowing down when reversing flight direction.
谐波雷达跟踪技术被用于记录两个蜂群中侦查蜂起飞和初始飞行路径阶段的飞行情况。其中一个蜂群保持完整，并完成了一次飞向谐波雷达探测范围之外目的地的完整飞行，而另一个蜂群在雷达探测范围内解体，大多数蜜蜂回到了蜂王身边。完整飞行的初始阶段特点是速度不断加快，而解体的蜂群则以低速稳定飞行。进行完整飞行的蜂群中的两只侦查蜂表现出了典型的飞行动作。它们朝着目的地飞行时速度很快，而在短距离内转向或返回时则会减速并以低速飞行。解体蜂群中的侦查蜂没有表现出同样典型的飞行行为。我们的数据支持“飞掠蜂假说”，该假说认为侦查蜂通过在短距离内朝着新巢穴方向高速飞行，以及在飞行方向反转时减速来引导蜂群。
