a) The Secret Language of Honeybees
b) Honeybees:
Honeybees communicate through a complex system of dances, pheromones, and other signals. These signals are crucial for tasks like foraging, hive maintenance, and colony defense. Honeybees use a unique dance called the waggle dance to communicate the location of food sources. This dance involves a series of figure-eight movements, with the angle of the waggle run indicating the direction of the food source relative to the sun. The length of the waggle run also indicates the distance to the food source.
The bees are known for their resilience and adaptability, which have allowed them to thrive in challenging environments. Their ability to withstand extreme temperatures, drought, and the presence of deadly mites is a testament to their remarkable resilience. This resilience is attributed to their unique genetic makeup, which allows them to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions.
UCR entomologists Barbara Baer-Imhoof and Boris Baer at the UCR apiary. Photo by Stan Lim/UCR Baer and Baer-Imhoof run CIBER, the Center for Integrative Bee Research at UCR, where they study stressors responsible for the decline in bee health, and work on solutions to those problems, including new tools for monitoring the health of bees in managed hives. For this grant, the researchers will determine how environmental threats are perceived and processed by individual bees, and then eventually how they are communicated to other members of the hive. This communication chain is a fundamental but still unsolved challenge in science.
This aspect of bee communication is crucial for understanding the complex social structures and behaviors of honeybees. The project will explore the molecular mechanisms underlying honeybee communication, focusing on the production and release of pheromones. Pheromones are chemical signals that trigger specific behavioral responses in other bees.
Giraldo’s research focuses on understanding how bees communicate with each other and how this communication impacts their social behavior. He aims to unravel the neural mechanisms underlying these complex interactions. Giraldo’s research is particularly relevant to the field of artificial intelligence, as it provides insights into the evolution of communication and social intelligence in nature.
“They can do complicated things,” Baer said. “They must be extremely efficient on an individual level to use the available brain power for complex tasks like these.” Based in Los Angeles, the W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W. M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. The foundation’s grant-making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in the areas of medical research and science and engineering. The foundation also supports undergraduate education and maintains a Southern California Grant Program that provides support for the Los Angeles community, with a special emphasis on children and youth. For more information, visit www.wmkeck.org.
This funding will be used to support research, education, and outreach programs.”
The W.M. Keck Foundation has a long history of supporting research and education in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The foundation has provided funding to numerous universities and research institutions across the U.S. for decades. The UCR community is excited about this new partnership with the W.M.
