Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is both a commonly used method and a promising tool for investigating the foraging activities of bees. To prevent loss of electronic tags from individual bees, they must be immobilized long enough for adhesives to dry, but because narcosis can negatively affect bee health and behaviors, a very brief narcosis period is recommended. The present study assessed the impact of 30 min of cold narcosis, compared with carbon dioxide or no narcosis, on foraging activities using RFID monitoring. From each of three hives, 8 to 10 bees were placed in each of three narcosis treatments (n = 85), then tagged and monitored for homing success, activity after returning to the hive, and duration of flights outside the hive. Bees showed no significant differences in homing success and flight duration between cold narcosis treatment and the control (no narcosis), whereas bees narcotized by carbon dioxide showed significantly lower homing success and shorter flight duration than control bees. We conclude that for observing bee foraging behaviors using RFID systems, the effects of cold narcosis on ice for 30 min on foraging behaviors are acceptable, and cold narcosis is more practical for tagging many bees at once than physical immobilization using plunger cages.

中文翻译：

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冷麻醉对使用射频识别 (RFID) 系统跟踪的欧洲蜜蜂 (Apis mellifera ligustica) 觅食行为的影响

射频识别（RFID）既是一种常用的方法，也是调查蜜蜂觅食活动的一种很有前途的工具。为了防止单个蜜蜂丢失电子标签，它们必须固定足够长的时间以使粘合剂变干，但由于麻醉会对蜜蜂的健康和行为产生负面影响，因此建议使用非常短的麻醉期。本研究使用 RFID 监测评估了 30 分钟冷麻醉与二氧化碳或无麻醉相比对觅食活动的影响。从三个蜂巢中的每一个中，将 8 到 10 只蜜蜂放入三种麻醉剂中的每一种（n = 85），然后标记并监测归巢成功、返回蜂巢后的活动以及蜂巢外飞行的持续时间。蜜蜂在冷麻醉处理和对照（无麻醉）之间在归巢成功率和飞行持续时间方面没有显着差异，而被二氧化碳麻醉的蜜蜂与对照蜜蜂相比，归巢成功率和飞行持续时间显着降低。我们得出结论，对于使用 RFID 系统观察蜜蜂觅食行为，在冰上冷麻醉 30 分钟对觅食行为的影响是可以接受的，并且冷麻醉对于一次标记许多蜜蜂比使用柱塞笼进行物理固定更实用。