A stingless bee uses labial gland secretions for scent trail communication ( Trigona recursa Smith 1863)

Abstract

The pheromones used by several species of stingless bees for scent trail communication are generally assumed to be produced by the mandibular glands. Here we present strong evidence that in Trigona recursa these pheromones originate from the labial glands, which are well developed in the heads of foragers. Analysis of the behavior involved in scent marking shows that a bee extends her proboscis and rubs it over the substrate. A single scent marking event lasts for 0.59+/-0.21 s while the bee runs a stretch of 1.04+/-0.37 cm on a leaf. According to choice experiments the bees are attracted by a feeder baited with labial gland extract (84.2+/-6% of the bees choose this feeder) but repelled from a feeder baited with mandibular gland extract (only 27.5+/-13.1% of the bees choose this feeder). They do not discriminate between two clean feeders (49.6+/-3% of the bees at a feeder). 87+/-5.1% of bees already feeding leave the feeder after the application of mandibular gland extract whereas only 6.2+/-4.9% and 2.6+/-4% do so when labial gland extract or pure solvent was applied.

Trail Pheromones in Pest Control

“…The secretions of workers in queen right colonies are long-chain alkenes with odd numbers of carbon atoms, but the secretions of egg-laying queens and egg-laying workers of queenless colonies also include long chain esters (Soroker & Hefetz, 2002). Jarau et al (2004) recorded that in T. recursa, the trail pheromone is produced in the labial glands and not in the mandibular glands. Hexyl decanoate was the first component of a trail pheromone identified, and it proved to be behaviorally active in stingless bees (Jarau et al, 2006).…”

The use of food source scent marks by the stingless beeTrigona corvina(Hymenoptera: Apidae): the importance of the depositor’s identity

“…L'attraction par les marques odorantes des membres de la colonie s'observe chez de nombreuses espèces d'abeilles sans aiguillon (par ex. Nieh, 1998 ;Goulson et al, 2001 ;Nieh et al, 2003a, b ;Schmidt et al, 2003 ;Aguilar et al, 2004a ;Hrncir et al, 2004 ;Jarau et al, 2004 ;Nieh et al, 2004a, b ;Schmidt et al, 2005) et chez les abeilles domestiques (von Frisch, 1967 ;Ferguson and Free, 1979 ;Free and Williams, 1983). Elles facilitent probablement le recrutement de butineuses naïves pour des sources de nourriture de grande qualité (Michener, 1974).…”

“…Die attraktive Wirkung der Duftmarken von Nestgenossen wurde bei vielen verschiedenen Arten der Stachellosen Bienen beobachtet (siehe z.B. Nieh, 1998;Goulson et al, 2001;Nieh et al, 2003a, b;Schmidt et al, 2003;Aguilar et al, 2004a;Hrncir et al, 2004;Jarau et al, 2004;Schmidt et al, 2005), aber auch bei Honigbienen (von Frisch, 1967;Ferguson und Free, 1979;Free und Williams, 1983). Der Geruch der Nestgenossen hilft vermutlich unerfahrenen Sammlerinnen profitable Futterquellen zu rekrutieren (Michener, 1974).…”

Changes in the size of cephalic salivary glands of Apis mellifera and Scaptotrigona postica (Hymenoptera: Apidae) queens and workers in different life phases

“…Alveolar average size increases from newly emerged to forager workers and from virgin to egg-laying queens. et al 2004et al , SCHORKOPF et al 2007. However, SIMPSON's hypothesis (1960) that the secretion serves to lubricate the mouthparts cannot be ruled out.…”