Dose- and time-dependent effects of oral octopamine treatments on the sucrose responsiveness in stingless bees (Melipona scutellaris).

MC CABE, SOFIA; BENETOLI FERRO MW; FARINA WALTER M.; HRNCIR, MICHAEL

APIDOLOGIE

EDP SCIENCES S A

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2017 vol. 48 p. 1 - 7

0044-8435

Biogenic amines modulate physiological responses and, consequently, the behaviour of animals. Here,we present the first pharmacological approach to evaluate the influence of octopamine (OA) in stingless bees(Apidae, Meliponini), a group of highly eusocial bees distributed in the tropical and southern subtropical areas of theglobe. In sucrose response threshold assays, foragers of Melipona scutellaris showed an increased responsiveness tosucrose after oral OA treatments. The effect of OA on the bees? responsiveness to sucrose was OA dose-dependentand lasted for up to 1 h. Our results indicate that experimental approaches similar to the ones used for honey bees,Apis mellifera , are feasible for stingless bees. This opens opportunities to study the variability of aminergicregulation of collective behaviour in social bees.