Honey Norisoprenoids Attract Bumble Bee, Bombus terrestris, in New Zealand Mountain Beech Forests

Abstract

Three varieties of honey of different dominant floral origin were found to attract social Hymenoptera, including the large earth bumble bee, Bombus terrestris, in a New Zealand mountain beech forest. This study was undertaken to identify volatile organic compounds that induce the attraction of bumble bees to honeybee (Apis mellifera) honey. We analyzed the chemical composition of the volatile organic compounds produced in three distinct varieties of honey (i.e., manuka, honeydew, and clover honey). The composition of the chemical profile of the three honey varieties differed in the quality and in the ratio of compounds in the headspace. o-Methoxyacetophenone was the main compound in the headspace of all three honey varieties. Among the 40 compounds identified in the headspace in the three varieties, only seven shared compounds (i.e., benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-phenylethanol, isophorone, 4-oxoisophorone, and o-methoxyacetophenone) were present in the headspace of the three honey varieties. The relative attractiveness of various blends of the seven common compounds found in the three honey varieties was tested for the attraction to bumble bees in a mountain beech forest. A binary blend of isophorone and 4-oxoisophorone at a ratio of 90:10 was the most attractive blend for both bumble bee workers and queens. A small number of honey bee workers were also attracted to the former binary blend. Our study represents the first identification of a honey-derived attractant for bumble bees and honey bees. The potential application of our finding for monitoring of bumble bees or to enhance crop pollination and help to tackle the current concern of a global pollination crisis is discussed.

Evaluation of Benzaldehyde as an Antibiotic Modulator and Its Toxic Effect against Drosophila melanogaster

“…The molecular similarity of benzaldehyde with oxygenated terpenes (all having an oxygen linked to an aromatic ring and similarities in physical properties) raises the hypothesis that the lethal damage is caused by increased oxidative stress and changes in the respiratory chain; future studies should focus on this hypothesis [ 53 , 54 , 55 ]. However, the target species must be considered, as benzaldehyde can be used as an attractant for bees, thus promoting pollination, as already reported by some studies [ 56 , 57 ].…”