Bumble Bee Gustatory Assay
Bumble Bee Gustatory Assay - Related Videos
07:30
A Novel Behavioral Assay to Investigate Gustatory Responses of Individual, Freely-moving Bumble Bees (Bombus terrestris)
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Cited by 21 •
2016
A novel behavioral assay is described for investigating the short term gustatory responses of the mouthparts of freely-moving bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) toward nutrients and toxins in solution.
10:57
RNAi-mediated Double Gene Knockdown and Gustatory Perception Measurement in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
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Cited by 19 •
2013
In this protocol, we describe two strategies that simultaneously suppress two genes (double gene knockdown) in honey bees. Then we present how to use the proboscis extension response (PER) assay to study the effect of double gene knockdown on honey bee gustatory perception.
07:19
A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances
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Cited by 7 •
2020
We present a non-lethal and automated mechanism to collect pollen from bumble bee (Bombus) workers returning to a hive. Instructions for producing, preparing, installing and using the devices are included. By using 3D-printed objects, modification to the design was timely, efficient and allowed for quick turnaround for testing.
10:59
New Methods to Study Gustatory Coding
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Cited by 1 •
2017
We present three new methods to study gustatory coding. Using a simple animal, the moth Manduca sexta (Manduca), we describe a dissection protocol, the use of extracellular tetrodes to record the activity of multiple gustatory receptor neurons, and a system for delivering and monitoring precisely timed pulses of tastants.
08:42
Methods for Comparing Nutrients in Beebread Made by Africanized and European Honey Bees and the Effects on Hemolymph Protein Titers
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Cited by 15 •
2015
Here are methods to quantify nutrients in pollen before and after its conversion to beebread by two subspecies of honeybees. We describe techniques to measure beebread consumption and resulting protein titers in both subspecies.
FAQs
Researchers vary tastant concentration in a controlled manner and present the chemical stimulus to the antennae or mouthparts. These sites provide distinct points of sensory contact, while the concentration series helps reveal how response strength changes with stimulus intensity. Recording proboscis extension, feeding, or rejection then links observable behavior with gustatory receptor activity and sensory processing.
The behavioral outcome provides the main distinction. Proboscis extension and feeding indicate attraction or acceptance of a tastant, whereas rejection indicates an aversive response. Comparing these outcomes across chemical cues allows researchers to characterize how bumble bees evaluate taste information and to connect sensory detection with behavioral decisions rather than treating receptor activity as an isolated neural event.
Because the assay measures repeatable behavioral responses to chemical cues, it can be used to examine how experience influences taste-guided behavior. Researchers can relate changes in proboscis extension, feeding, or rejection to learning and memory while considering the underlying sensory processing. This makes the method useful for studying how bees acquire or retain associations that affect later decisions.
A basic workflow presents controlled concentrations of selected tastants to the bee’s antennae or mouthparts, observes the immediate behavioral response, and quantifies outcomes such as proboscis extension, feeding, or rejection. Researchers can then compare response patterns across tastants, concentrations, individuals, or colonies. The resulting measurements support interpretation of gustatory receptor function and behavioral processing.
The assay produces behavioral measures that can be compared between individual bees or at the colony level. Response frequencies or patterns for proboscis extension, feeding, and rejection can indicate differences in taste perception and acceptance of chemical cues. Such comparisons help characterize variation in sensory responses and support investigations of how bees make feeding-related decisions.
Taste responses influence how bees evaluate potential food and other chemical cues, making the assay relevant to foraging and nutrition research. It can also examine how environmental chemicals affect pollinator sensory behavior. By connecting altered responses with gustatory receptor activity and decision-making, researchers can investigate consequences for individual behavior and broader colony-level patterns.