A non-invasive and non-destructive method for observing in-hive behaviour of the Australian stingless bee, Austroplebeia australis

The nest architecture of stingless bees is complex and fragile, making observation of their in-hive behaviour difficult and, consequently, limiting available information (Wille and Michener, 1973). Destructive sampling of hives is an unsustainable practice, particularly when dealing with a genus of social bees that is difficult to propagate, such as Austroplebeia (Dollin and Heard, 1999; Slaa et al., 2006). Previous methods used to observe behaviour, such as observation hives with Perspex lids, have limitations in their use and effectiveness, and experimental colonies must be transferred to specially modified observation nests before studies can begin (Hart and Ratnieks, 2002). This creates demand for a non-invasive and non-destructive method of observation and here we report on the development of such a method.