Melipona beecheii (Hymenoptera, Apidae) foragers deposit a chemical mark on food to attract conspecifics

By

Espadas-Pinacho, Karen
Grajales-Conesa, Julieta
Rojas, Julio C.
Cruz-Lopez, Leopoldo

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

Journal of Hymenoptera research

Volume

96

Pages

155--166

Subjects

CG-MS , Cuticular hydrocarbons , labial gland , stingless bees

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Washington, D.C International Society of Hymenopterists

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.96.98127

 

Abstract

Stingless bees have a sophisticated system of chemical communication that helps conspecifics find food sources. In this study, we investigated whether Melipona beecheii foragers deposit a chemical mark on food to recruit conspecifics. Our results showed that foragers preferred to visit the feeders visited previously by conspecifics over clean feeders. We also found that foragers preferred visiting feeders baited with labial gland extracts over those baited with mandibular extracts or hexane. Labial gland extracts elicited higher forager antennal responses compared with those evoked by the mandibular gland extracts or hexane. Labial gland extracts and extracts from feeders visited by foragers contain a mixture of unsaturated hydrocarbons, followed by straight chain hydrocarbons and small quantities of esters. The main component is a mixture of alkene isomers C27:1.