Discontinued alcohol consumption elicits withdrawal symptoms in honeybees

The honeybee continues to be developed as a model species in many research areas, including studies related to the effects of alcohol. Here, we investigate whether workers display one of the key features of alcoholism, namely withdrawal symptoms. We show that workers fed for a prolonged time on food spiked with ethanol, after discontinuation of access to such food, exhibited a marked increase in the consumption of ethanol and a slight increase in mortality. We additionally show that withdrawal symptoms do not include an increase in appetitiveness of ethanol diluted in water. Our results demonstrate that workers can develop alcohol dependence, which might be especially important in the natural setting of repeated exposure to ethanol in floral nectar and for their potential as a model of alcohol addiction.

Automated summary

Honeybee workers exhibit withdrawal symptoms, with increased ethanol consumption and mortality rates, after prolonged exposure to ethanol spiked food, but do not display an increased appetite for ethanol diluted in water. These findings suggest that workers can develop alcohol dependence and may be a valuable model for studying alcohol addiction in a natural setting.