E-β-Ocimene, a Volatile Brood Pheromone Involved in Social Regulation in the Honey Bee Colony (Apis mellifera)

Abstract

BackgroundIn honey bee colony, the brood is able to manipulate and chemically control the workers in order to sustain their own development. A brood ester pheromone produced primarily by old larvae (4 and 5 days old larvae) was first identified as acting as a contact pheromone with specific effects on nurses in the colony. More recently a new volatile brood pheromone has been identified: E-β-ocimene, which partially inhibits ovary development in workers.Methodology and Principal FindingOur analysis of E-β-ocimene production revealed that young brood (newly hatched to 3 days old) produce the highest quantity of E-β-ocimene relative to their body weight. By testing the potential action of this molecule as a non-specific larval signal, due to its high volatility in the colony, we demonstrated that in the presence of E-β-ocimene nest workers start to forage earlier in life, as seen in the presence of real brood.Conclusions/SignificanceIn this way, young larvae are able to assign precedence to the task of foraging by workers in order to increase food stores for their own development. Thus, in the complexity of honey bee chemical communication, E-β-ocimene, a pheromone of young larvae, provides the brood with the means to express their nutritional needs to the workers.

Chemical communication in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.): a review

“…Mohammedi et al (1998) showed that among the ten esters, ethyl palmitate and methyl linolenate are the compounds that are involved in the prevention of ovary development of bees. All of the ten esters (boiling point around 200 °C) generally known as brood pheromone are non-volatile and their movement is likely facilitated by worker to worker contact (Pankiw, 2004a;Maisonnasse et al, 2010). Very recently, a new highly volatile molecule, E-β-ocimene, has been identified in larvae (Maisonnasse et al, 2009).…”

“…Very recently, a new highly volatile molecule, E-β-ocimene, has been identified in larvae (Maisonnasse et al, 2009). This brood pheromone component also acts as a primer pheromone with two actions on worker bee physiology: inhibition of worker ovaries (Maisonnasse et al, 2009) and acceleration of worker bee behavioural maturation (Maisonnasse et al, 2010). E-β-ocimene (boiling point 73 °C), which belongs to the terpene family, is volatile so and therefore has an aerial transmission and is easily dispersed within the colony (Maisonnasse et al, 2010).…”

“…This brood pheromone component also acts as a primer pheromone with two actions on worker bee physiology: inhibition of worker ovaries (Maisonnasse et al, 2009) and acceleration of worker bee behavioural maturation (Maisonnasse et al, 2010). E-β-ocimene (boiling point 73 °C), which belongs to the terpene family, is volatile so and therefore has an aerial transmission and is easily dispersed within the colony (Maisonnasse et al, 2010). All worker bees in the nest can be in direct contact through this signal, such as the nurse (young bee), but also middleaged bees, from ages 12-21 days, that specialize in nectar processing and nest maintenance but do not engage in the brood care (Johnson, 2010;Maisonnasse et al, 2010).…”

“…E-β-ocimene (boiling point 73 °C), which belongs to the terpene family, is volatile so and therefore has an aerial transmission and is easily dispersed within the colony (Maisonnasse et al, 2010). All worker bees in the nest can be in direct contact through this signal, such as the nurse (young bee), but also middleaged bees, from ages 12-21 days, that specialize in nectar processing and nest maintenance but do not engage in the brood care (Johnson, 2010;Maisonnasse et al, 2010). E-β-ocimene could be the signal for the transition of middle-aged bees to foragers (Maisonnasse et al, 2010).…”

“…All worker bees in the nest can be in direct contact through this signal, such as the nurse (young bee), but also middleaged bees, from ages 12-21 days, that specialize in nectar processing and nest maintenance but do not engage in the brood care (Johnson, 2010;Maisonnasse et al, 2010). E-β-ocimene could be the signal for the transition of middle-aged bees to foragers (Maisonnasse et al, 2010). Brood ester pheromone (the blend of 10 methyl and ethyl esters) also modulates the behavioural maturation of worker bees and its effects vary with dose (Le Conte et al, 2001;Maisonnasse et al, 2010).…”