What Are They?

1 . What is a pheromone?

Honey bees manufacture specific chemicals called pheromones. These chemicals/pheromones are used to communicate through taste and smell. A pheromone is secreted to the outside by an individual bee. When received by another individual bee, it results in a specific behavioral response. Pheromones differ from hormones in that they pass outside the body. They are secreted by exocrine glands usually as a liquid but may also function as smell (gaseous) rather than taste (liquid).

2 . What is the difference between a releaser pheromone and a primer pheromone?

A “releaser” pheromone has an immediate effect on behavior. A “primer” pheromone has long term effects on physiology and behavior.

3 . Why are pheromones so important for communication inside the colony?

The colonies are dark on the inside and the bees cannot rely on vision for communication. Chemical sense is far more important inside the colony than visual or acoustic communication.

4 . How many chemical pheromones or mixtures of chemicals are there in the honey bee colony?

A Low estimate is 18 and the upper estimate is 36 different chemicals or mixtures of chemicals in the bee colony.

5 . Do other insects besides the honey bee release pheromones?

Yes, many insects release pheromones to communicate sex attractants, aggregating behaviors, alarm communication and other behavior (silk worm and gypsy moth are examples of early research on pheromones).

6 . Which pheromones are most important in worker bees?

Worker bee pheromones are mainly for orientation and alarm.