Honeybee buzz attenuates plant damage by caterpillars

with mesh size of 1 mm2) were set up next to each other in the botanical garden of the University of Wuerzburg. Each tent was used for three experimental series and contained either 10 plants of the bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) with 6–15 leaves per plant, or 10 plants of the soybean (Glycine max) with 11– 30 leaves per plant (see Figure S1 in the Supplemental data available on-line with this issue). The bell pepper was tested with and without fruit. At the start of the experiment, 10 third-instar caterpillars of the beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) were added to each plant. This species was chosen because they feed on about fifty plant species [10], they possess sensory hairs that can detect airborne vibration and they exhibit both wasp-avoidance responses when stimulated by wing beat generated airborne vibration. One experimental tent was connected to a bee hive such that foragers could enter the tent and fly to two feeders filled with nonscented 2.5 molar sugar solutions and mounted at half plant height above ground in the two corners of the tent furthest from Honeybee buzz attenuates plant damage by caterpillars