Nasonov pheromone of the honey bee,Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Abstract

Abstract--Composition of the Nasonov pheromone of the honey bee has been reexamined using new procedures, including analysis of pheromone from single live insects by capillary column GC-MS. Two new components have been identified, nerol and (E,E)-farnesot, and the presence of components proposed previously has been confirmed. Absolute amounts or relative proportions of components in the pheromonal secretion have been determined.

Queen-produced volatiles change dynamically during reproductive swarming and are associated with changes in honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker behavior

“…We identified two compounds (heptadecane and pentadecane) that were produced by significantly more queens at liftoff and whose quantities were also significantly higher at liftoff. While previous studies of changes in pheromone production by queens have focused on relatively stable long-term differences between virgin and mated queens (Slessor et al 1990;Gilley et al 2006) or among mated queens with different mating qualities (Huang et al 2009;Niño et al 2013), our results suggest that mated queens can alter their chemical output in response to relatively short-term changes in the state of the social collective, as workers do when they release Nasonov or alarm pheromones in response to quickly shifting conditions (Pickett et al 1980;Breed et al 2004). These results suggest that queens may play a more active role in organizing the swarming process than was previously known.…”

“…Both pentadecane and heptadecane are found in trace quantities in honey bee queen Dufour's glands and on the surface of queen-laid eggs, and pentadecane is also found on workerlaid eggs (Katzav-Gozansky et al 2003;Richard et al 2011). Neither of these compounds has been identified as a component of honey bee Nasanov gland pheromone, which is released by workers to attract other workers during swarming, though hydrocarbons were not specifically investigated in these studies (Pickett et al 1980). These compounds have also been found in trace quantities in the sting apparatus of honey bee workers (McDaniel et al 1984), but are not considered components of alarm pheromone, which elicits worker attraction (Breed et al 2004).…”

“…Benzyl alcohol, geranyl acetone, and benzyl benzoate trended toward being emitted by more liftoff queens than inhive queens, and benzyl alcohol and benzyl benzoate and were produced at significantly higher quantities in liftoff queens (Table I). Geranyl acetone is likely a biosynthetic derivative of farnesol (Schulz et al 2011), which is a component of worker Nasanov glands (Pickett et al 1980). The five-compound Nasanov pheromone blend is attractive to honey bee swarms (Schmidt 1999).…”

Identification and Field Evaluation of Attractants for the Cranberry Weevil, Anthonomus musculus Say

“…Geraniol is a monoterpenoid alcohol commonly emitted from plants, particularly flowers (Schiestl, 2010), that is induced by herbivore feeding (Han and Chen, 2002), and with known activity on insects, including mosquitoes (e.g., Qualls and Xue 2009) and bees (e.g., Williams et al, 1981). Besides Anthonomus spp., it is a component of the honey bee pheromone (Boch, 1962;Pickett et al, 1980). Geraniol is a Fig.…”

Insect pheromone-like activity of several isoprenoids against <i>Phyllonorycter ringoniella</i> (Matsumura)

“…For example, citral, nerol, geranoic acid, nerolic acid, and farnesol are classified as attraction substances (Nasonov pheromone) of the honeybee [18]. Bee-Scent, the trade name of a honeybee attractant, encourages bees to undertake the full pollination of pear trees by discouraging their dispersal to other sources of honey, and is thus used as a laborsaving tool by orchardists.…”