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

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg7x3](10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg7x3)

## Description of the data and file structure

Description of the data and file structure

These data were generated from experiments designed to examine the effect of temperature in a colony on the acceleration of circadian rhythms ontogeny in young bees.

Files and variables

**File: Data_25-38degree_v2.2.xlsx**

Description: Data on the percentage of rhythmic bees for Experiment 1

Variables

* Temperature: Ambient temperature during first 48 h

- Percentage: the percentage of rhythmic bees

**File: Data_colony1801_1802_1901v2.6.xlsx**

Description: Individual data on the strength of circadian rhythms (power) in each colony for Experiment 2

Variables

* Colony: colonyID

Group:

* forager = bees that returned to their hives with pollen loads on their hind legs

- colon...,