WEB FOCUS

Honeybee genome

In this focus

Honeybees have fascinating social structure and advanced societies despite having brains that are five orders of magnitude smaller than humans. An international consortium here reports the genome sequence of the honeybee. Initial analysis of gene content and evolution yields insight into how they accomplish such complex organisation and behaviours such as the famous 'waggle dance'. This special Nature web focus celebrates the publication of the honeybee genome with video interviews and news analysis of the primary research papers, and a comprehensive archive of all matters Apis mellifera.
Image: Jeff Pettis, USDA-ARS Bee Research Lab




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Video

Enjoy exclusive video of scientists from the bee genome consortium discussing how the project was completed and what it tells us about the life and societies of honeybees.


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Current Research

ARTICLE

Insights into social insects from the genome of the honeybee Apis mellifera Free access

The Honeybee Genome Sequencing Consortium et al.

Nature 443, 931-949 (26 October 2006) doi:10.1038/nature05260


NEWS FEATURE

Genomics: How to make a social insect

Edward O. Wilson

Nature 443, 919-920(26 October 2006) doi:10.1038/443919a

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NEWS

From hive to human.

Erika Check

Nature 443, 893 (26 October 2006) doi:10.1038/443893a

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Podcast

podcast

Hear more about honeybee behaviour and the significance of the sequencing of the bee genome in the 26 October edition of the Nature Podcast.


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Archive

LETTER

Honeybee colonies achieve fitness through dancing

Gavin Sherman, P. Kirk Visscher

Nature 419, 920 - 922 (31 Oct 2002) doi:10.1038/nature01127


LETTER

Honeybee dances communicate distances measured by optic flow

Harald E. Esch, Shaowu Zhang, Mandyan V. Srinivasan, Juergen Tautz

Nature 411, 581 - 583 (31 May 2001) doi:10.1038/35079072


ARTICLE

Chronobiology: Reversal of honeybee behavioural rhythms

Guy Bloch, Gene E. Robinson

Nature 410, 1048 - 1048 (26 Apr 2001) doi:10.1038/35074183


LETTER

The concepts of 'sameness' and 'difference' in an insect

Martin Giurfa et al.

Nature 410, 930 - 933 (19 Apr 2001) doi:10.1038/35073582


LETTER

Ontogeny of orientation flight in the honeybee revealed by harmonic radar

Elizabeth A. Capaldi et al.

Nature 403, 537 - 540 (03 Feb 2000) doi:10.1038/35000564


LETTER

Representations of odours and odour mixtures visualized in the honeybee brain

Jasdan Joerges, Armin Küttner, C. Giovanni Galizia, Randolf Menzel

Nature 387,285 - 288 (15 May 1997) doi:10.1038/387285a0


LETTER

Selective neuroanatomical plasticity and division of labour in the honeybee.

Ginger S. Withers, Susan E. Fahrbach, Gene E. Robinson

Nature 364, 238 - 240 (15 July 1993) doi:10.1038/364238a0


LETTER

An identified neuron mediates the unconditioned stimulus in associative olfactory learning in

Martin Hammer

Nature 366, 59 - 63 (04 Nov 1993) doi:10.1038/366059a0


LETTER

Gene flow between African- and European-derived honey bee populations in Argentina

Walter S. Sheppard et al.

Nature 349, 782 - 784 (28 Feb 1991) doi:10.1038/349782a0


LETTER

Neotropical Africanized honey bees have African mitochondrial DNA

Deborah Roan Smith, Orley R Taylor, Wesley M. Brown

Nature 339, 213 - 215 (18 May 1989) doi:10.1038/339213a0


LETTER

Worker policing in the honeybee

Francis L. W. Ratnieks, P. Kirk Visscher

Nature 342, 796 - 797 (14 Dec 1989) doi:10.1038/342796a0


LETTER

Evidence from mitochondrial DNA that African honey bees spread as continuous maternal lineages

H. Glenn Hall, K. Muralidharan

Nature 339, 211 - 213 (18 May 1989) doi:10.1038/339211a0


LETTER

A genetic component to division of labour within honey bee colonies

Peter C.Frumhoff , Jayne Baker

Nature 333, 358 - 361 (26 May 1988) doi:10.1038/333358a0


LETTER

Genetic determination of guarding and undertaking in honey-bee colonies

Gene E. Robinson, Robert E. Page

Nature 333, 356 - 358 (26 May 1988) doi:10.1038/333356a0


LETTER

Semiochemical basis of the retinue response to queen honey bees

Keith N. Slessor et al.

Nature 332, 354 - 356 (24 Mar 1988) doi:10.1038/332354a0


LETTER

Genetic kin recognition: honey bees discriminate between full and half sisters

Wayne M. Getz, Katherine B. Smith

Nature 302, 147 - 148 (10 Mar 1983) doi:10.1038/302147a0


LETTER

Behavioural access to short-term memory in bees

Randolf Menzel

Nature 281,368 - 369 (04 Oct 1979) doi:10.1038/281368a0


LETTER

Extraction and Purification of 'Queen Substance' from Queen Bees

C. G. Butler, R. K. Callow, Norah C. Johnston

Nature 184, 1871 - 1871 (12 Dec 1959) doi:10.1038/1841871a0


ARTICLE

Communication in Swarm-Bees Searching for a New Home

M. Lindauer

Nature 179, 63 - 66 (12 Jan 1957) doi:10.1038/179063a0