‘Pheromone-like’ properties of de-oiled leaf extract of <i>Swertia densifolia</i> towards <i>Apis cerana indica</i> F.

Naik, D. G.; Dandge, Chitra; Deshpande, Pradnya

doi:10.3896/ibra.1.49.2.02

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This was followed by the isolation of the essential oil from leaves and demonstration of its repellency to A. florea (Naik et al 2008). Study of the biological properties of extracts of the leaf left after removal of the essential oil demonstrated dose-dependent attractant properties at lower concentrations and repellent properties at higher concentrations, a response pattern similar to that shown by insects to pheromones (Naik et al 2010a). While this previous work demonstrated the value of extracts from the leaves of S. densifolia, the chemical constitution and biological properties of the essential oils from the flowers of S. densifolia have not previously been examined and are reported here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Naik¹,

Vaidya-Kannur²,

Deshpande³

et al. 2015

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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Formulations of compounds repellent to honey bees may be useful tools to keep bees away from areas recently treated with toxic insecticides. Here, we report the activity of a previously unknown honey bee repellent, an essential oil from the flower of Swertia densifolia (Gentianaceae), which has activity toward Indian honey bees Apis florea F. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and was subjected to a rotating table bioassay with foragers of the honey bee A. florea. Repellency was dose-dependent up to 12 mg/ml and remained constant thereafter. The chemical constitution of the essential oil was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, which identified 19 constituent compounds. The major constituents (>10% of the oil) were linalool and octadecanoic acid. The constituents of intermediate concentration (5-10%) were a-terpeniol, nerol, n-octadecyl acetate, and spirostan-3-ol. Besides these, five minor constituents (1-5%) and six of the eight trace components present (<1%) have also been identified. The response of A. florea foragers to mixtures of the major and intermediate constituents was studied. Screening of formulations of linalool and a-terpeniol showed repellent properties toward A. florea, behavior which has already been reported by us in earlier studies. The compound n-octadecyl acetate was found to be an attractant, while octadecanoic acid and spirostan-3-ol were neither attractants nor repellents. Nerol, however, elicited dose-dependent effects involving both attraction and repellency. The effects of the constituents of this essential oil were not merely additive, possibly due to synergistic effects. These results establish the previously unknown chemical constitution and dose-dependent repellent nature of the essential oil isolated from flower of S. densifolia toward A. florea and may be used to improve bee management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Naik¹,

Vaidya-Kannur²,

Deshpande³

et al. 2015

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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“…In a limited number of cases the operative chemical compounds that attract or repel bees have been characterized (Detzel and Wink, 1993;Naik et al, 2008Naik et al, , 2010aSugahara et al, 2013), yielding insights into the mechanism by which plants can be used to facilitate honey harvest. Although in a few cases compounds may simply be toxic to bees (e.g., cassava leaves, see below), most relevant chemicals are likely to be semiochemicals that mimic the action of pheromones, signaling the condition of the hive or disrupting communication between bees and thus preventing colonies from mounting a collective defense response.…”

Section: Effects Of Chemicals On Honey Bee Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Could plant extracts have enabled hominins to acquire honey before the control of fire?

Kraft¹,

Venkataraman²

2015

Journal of Human Evolution

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Honey is increasingly recognized as an important food item in human evolution, but it remains unclear whether extinct hominins could have overcome the formidable collective stinging defenses of honey bees during honey acquisition. The utility of smoke for this purpose is widely recognized, but little research has explored alternative methods of sting deterrence such as the use of plant secondary compounds. To consider whether hominins could have used plant extracts as a precursor or alternative to smoke, we review the ethnographic, ethnobotanical, and plant chemical ecology literature to examine how humans use plants in combination with, and independently of, smoke during honey collection. Plant secondary compounds are diverse in their physiological and behavioral effects on bees and differ fundamentally from those of smoke. Plants containing these chemicals are widespread and prove to be remarkably effective in facilitating honey collection by honey hunters and beekeepers worldwide. While smoke may be superior as a deterrent to bees, plant extracts represent a plausible precursor or alternative to the use of smoke during honey collection by hominins. Smoke is a sufficient but not necessary condition for acquiring honey in amounts exceeding those typically obtained by chimpanzees, suggesting that significant honey consumption could have predated the control of fire.

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Essential Oil of Indian Propolis: Chemical Composition and Repellency against the Honeybee Apis florea

Naik

Vaidya

Namjoshi

2013

Chemistry & Biodiversity

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Hitherto unknown biological properties and the chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from propolis of Indian origin were established. GC/MS Analysis of the essential oil revealed the presence of 32 constituents, of which ten were major compounds, nine had intermediate contents, and 13 were minor compounds. With the exception of six minor constituents, that could not be identified, their identification was based on the comparison of their mass spectra and Kovats retention indices with those listed in the NIST and Wiley mass spectral libraries. Their structural assignment was confirmed by GC/MS co-injection of the essential oil with authentic compounds. Quantification of the components was done by GC-FID analyses. Moreover, the essential oil was shown to possess repellent activity against the honeybee Apis florea. The activity was found to be dose dependent. The average repellency (ΔR) increased with increasing essential-oil concentration up to 24 μg/ml and remained constant for the formulation with the higher concentration. These findings established the chemical constitution of the essential oil and might be useful to beekeepers for the improvement of the bee management.

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‘Pheromone-like’ properties of de-oiled leaf extract of Swertia densifolia towards Apis cerana indica F.

Cited by 3 publications

References 8 publications

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Could plant extracts have enabled hominins to acquire honey before the control of fire?

Essential Oil of Indian Propolis: Chemical Composition and Repellency against the Honeybee Apis florea

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