Role of colour and volatile in foraging behaviour of honeybee Apis cerana on Jacquemontia pentanthos.
- Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 21(4), p.1122-1128, 2018 .
Floral visual and olfactory cues guide the insect visitors to the source of reward. This work addresses one such interaction between honeybee Apis cerana and a garden climber Jacquemontia pentanthos. Field studies have indicated that A. cerana showed preference to J. pentanthos over the other flowering plants during its visits for foraging. The objectives of the work is to understand the role of colour and scent in the attraction of Apis cerana to the host plant. Bioassays performed emphasized the involvement of colour and volatiles for the visits of A. cerana. Petals show high reflectance to ultraviolet light with ultraviolet absorbing regions in the centre which serve as a nectar guide. Gas chromatography linked electroanntenogram detector (GC-EAD)showed antennal response to the floral volatile of J. pentanthos identified as sesquiterpene ?-caryophyllene. Behavioural studies have shown similar preference to ?- caryophyllene as that of ?-humulene. Our studies suggest an interplay of colour and volatiles cues for A. cerana visitation to Jacquemontia flowers and these findings are further supported by behavioural studies on.