gnawing behavior of Japanese honeybee to non-flowering crops

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15397
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Insect science
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: YOKOI Tomoyuki 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 助教 (80648890)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 解発物質 / ラクチュコピクリン / かじり行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To clarify the ecological significance of gnawing behavior of Japanese honeybee to the lettuce, I conducted the field survey, chemical analysis by using HPLC-MAD and GC, and bioassay experiments using lettuce extracts. Workers visit and gnawed lettuce leaves like they use other floral resources. Then, we hypothesized that specific chemicals (lactucopicrin) would affect as releaser stimulus to honeybee workers. We conducted bioassay in the field using lettuce visiting workers. Although workers did not react to the lactucopicrin solutions, they showed licking behavior to 100% water－fraction extract solutions, that are not included lactucopicrin but sugar and other chemicals. These results suggest that several chemicals in lettuce induce the gnawing behavior of Japanese honeybee.

Free Research Field

行動生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、ニホンミツバチがレタスのような作物の葉を加害する行動がどのように引き起こされているのかが明らかになった。レタス内の糖類が解発物質となってミツバチを引き寄せている可能性が高く、今後他の作物においても、同様の現象が起こりうるのかを検証する上でも重要な知見が得られたと考えられる。