BEE REPELLENT

Fecha de publicación: 15/10/2020
Fuente: WIPO "apis mellifera"
A method of conditioning honeybees in which a deterrent to feeding is provided in conjunction with a signal that can be detected by the honeybee and will be associated with the deterrent. The honeybee will expect the deterrent to be present whenever the signal is detected and so will be conditioned not to feed when the signal is detected. Other honeybees, either other foragers or bees in the hive, are conditioned to associate the signal with the deterrent through social learning Therefore the invention allows for the honeybees in a honeybee population to be repelled from a food source, such as an insecticide-treated crop. The invention provides compositions and kits including the components needed to condition honeybees and ensure they are repelled, and these kits can include alternative signals in case a particular signal is not effective in a specific environment.