Data from: Investigation of the effect of temperature and colonial air on the ontogeny of circadian rhythms in young worker honey bees Apis mellifera

Circadian rhythms are essential for predicting environmental changes;
however, little is known about factors regulating their ontogeny. Honey
bee workers emerge from the pupae with no behavioural circadian rhythms
but show strong rhythms later in their lives. Although a previous study
showed that temperature in a colony plays a role in accelerating the
ontogeny of circadian rhythms in young bees, it is still unknown whether
there is an optimal temperature for the acceleration of the rhythm
ontogeny. In the present study, we examined the influence of four
different temperatures (25, 29, 34, and 38°C) for 48 h and found that as
the temperature increased, more bees exhibited circadian activity rhythms
for a 5 d observation period. We also examined the influence of
temperature and other factors in a colony by exposing bees to air inside
the hive at 34°C (a temperature nearly identical to bood nest tempearture)
or 29°C. We found that regardless of whether bees were exposed to colony
air, they maintained their temperature at 34°C during their first 48 h and
were more likely to exhibit circadian activity rhythms during the 5 d
observation period compared with bees maintained at 29°C. These results
suggest that the temperature in a colony is the main factor influencing
the ontogeny of circadian rhythms in young bees. We also demonstrate the
presence of a critical period during which this temperature effect
significantly accelerates rhythm ontogeny.