Honey bees rely on recent memories: a test of the Temporal Weighting Rule

Free-flying bees (Apis mellifera) were studied to determine the extent to which they follow the temporal Weighting Rule a theory of foraging memory, which states that animals dynamically average patch values over time in order to minimize uncertainty. Acquisition, Retention and Integration of odour memories were studied. Bees underwent training involving three different odours, with a reversal of ordours. They were tested over delay to ascertain how their preference changed over time. Contrary to the prediction, bees did not respond according to temporally weighted patch values, and simply maintained their most recent preference on immediate testing. It is theorized that relying on their most recent memory, in the absence of other information, may be an adaptive strategy for the honey bee, with particular reference to their short foraging lifespan and the social aspects of the bee foraging.