http://www.springerlink.com/content/40210g9l1qn82236/?p=18eb4e940afc4ed0914dcbde245cd4e7&pi=12

Africanized honeybees are slower learners than their European counterparts
Abstract  Does cognitive ability always correlate with a positive fitness
consequence? Previous research in both vertebrates and invertebrates
provides mixed results. Here, we compare the learning and memory abilities
of Africanized honeybees (*Apis mellifera scutellata* hybrid) and European
honeybees (*Apis mellifera ligustica*). The range of the Africanized
honeybee continues to expand, superseding the European honeybee, which led
us to hypothesize that they might possess greater cognitive capabilities as
revealed by a classical conditioning assay. Surprisingly, we found that
fewer Africanized honeybees learn to associate an odor with a reward.
Additionally, fewer Africanized honeybees remembered the association a day
later. While Africanized honeybees are replacing European honeybees, our
results show that they do so despite displaying a relatively poorer
performance on an associative learning paradigm.

-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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