A STUDY OF DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOUR IN SOME HONEYBEE RACES .

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Economic Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University. Egypt

Abstract

Two races of the honeybees and their F1 hybrid were evaluated with regard to
their defensive behaviour. The Syrian race revealed a highly defensive behaviour,
while the Carniolan race showed a mild defensive response. The F1 hybrid bees
ranked between the two races. These conclusions were based on the number of
stings per ball before and after smoking under various treatments at three different
positions. Human sweat and geraniol were more effective. inducing aggressiveness
and severe stinging more than perfume and citral chemicals. Opening the hive or
exposing the balls to workers on the comb tops after hitting the lid and removing it
increased the aggressive behaviour. The smoke significantly reduced the aggressive
behaviour of the honeybee workers.