6 
Psyche 
[March 
confirmed the presence of the alarm releaser in the distillate (Fig. 2). 
The behavior of bees exposed to the distillate was indistinguishable 
from that observed in the presence of fresh bee stings. Moreover, it 
was evident that bees attracted to filter papers bearing the distillate 
demonstrated an extraordinary tendency to sting upon the slightest 
provocation. 
We have not yet succeeded in concentrating sufficient quantities of 
the alarm releaser to permit chemical characterization. Our observa- 
tions indicate that extremely small traces of the scented substance of 
bee stings are detectable both by humans and by honey bee workers, 
and that the amount borne by single stings is in fact minute. 
Alarm behavior in honey bees is governed by many factors, and the 
presence of the alarm releaser is not essential to stinging. Bees often 
attack moving objects or animals in the vicinity of the hive where no 
alarm releaser could possibly have been applied previously. Move- 
ment, odor, and texture probably all determine to some degree whether 
the response is aggressive. Unless accompanied by a supplementary 
stimulus, for example movement, the odor of the alarm releaser rarely 
precipitates stinging. The function of the alarm releaser, besides serv- 
ing as an efficient recruiting mechanism, must be considered as an 
intensifier of the normal defensive responses of the colony. 
Bibliography 
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Ghent, R. L. 
1961. Adaptive refinements in the chemical defense mechanisms of 
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