Other Pheromones

1 . How do guard bees use their mandibular pheromone?

Guard bees stand at the entrance of the colony with a characteristic stance - front legs, mandibles and antenna outstretched. They bite intruders and mark them with mandibular gland alarm pheromone (2-heptanone) This has a repellent effect and discourages robber bees and intruders from entering the nest.

2 . What is “scenting”? What gland does it involve and what does it smell like?

“Scenting” involves the Nasonov gland. There is a characteristic stance of the honey bee while “scenting”. The gland produces terpenoids that smell like lemon (ergo- lemon grass oil)

3 . What does the Nasonov pheromone do?

Nasonov pheromone is secreted at sources of water, artificial feeding stations, flower foraging sites, and at the hive to guide bees to a location. It is also used for swarm cluster locations and new home sites during swarming to guide bees to the new location. During swarming, the Nasonov pheromone interacts with Queen pheromone (9 ODA) during movement through the air so that bees coalesce into a single location following the queen.

4 . What is “colony odor”?

Above and beyond the queen odor that marks each bee in a colony, there is a distinctive odor on each bee that comes from food collected and stored in the colony. “Colony odor” is shared “body odor” and all the bees in the hive have the same odor. The waxy layers of the exoskeleton of the bee absorbs the many distinctive odors of her hive. Thus, each colony has a distinctive “colony odor”

Guard bees take about 1 second with their antennas to determine if the incoming bee is from their hive by detecting the “colony odor” or “signature mixture”. If a bee with the incorrect “signature mixture” tries to enter a hive, drifting or robbing, the guard bee grapples with the bee and pushes her away from the colony

5 . What is the honey bee smell of death or decay?

Honey bees can decipher over 700 floral scents (number tested) but also can detect the smell of a dead bee or decaying bee (oleic acid). Decaying bees release the odor caused by oleic acid and this initiates the removal of the dead bees from the hive. Several “undertaker bees” pick up and carry the dead body to the front of the hive and then fly off with the dead bee and drop it some distance from the hive. If you put a small amount of oleic acid on a live bee, the undertaker bees will drag the live bee out of the hive- until the scent wears off.

6 . What is “trail pheromone”?

Honey bees distribute an attractive pheromone when they walk, called “trail pheromone”. Source is the Arnhart or tarsal gland but the exact chemical has not been identified. It is deposited between the tarsal claws as the bees walk. In the hive, bees follow the trail pheromone or footprint substance to find the entrance to the hive. Outside it serves as a marker for foragers to relocate flowers previously visited for nectar. Queen footprint pheromone inhibits workers from building queen cups, if she has recently walked over portions of the comb.