Motivation and regulation of honey bee foraging

Although the foraging behaviour of honey bees has been studied from different perspectives, the motivational aspects of such activity have been frequently ignored despite the critical effects they exert. This article is concerned with the study of ways in which honey bee foraging is affected by motivational state, a question that has guided the research work of the first author over many years. From his first studies in Germany in the sixties to the latest and most recent ones in Argentina, the results of such work and the theoretical frame into which they are inserted are reviewed here. By presenting this review based on the first author's results, we intend to highlight the importance of considering honey bee foraging as a motivational system.