Defensive Mechanisms in the Social Hymenoptera

Hermann, Henry R.; Blum, Murray S.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-342202-6.50009-5

Cited by 69 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 249 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…They are also essential components of the nests of highly social stingless bees (Meliponini) that build brood cells or combs with cerumen, a mixture of wax and resins (Sakagami, 1982). Cerumen is also used to construct an elaborate involucrum which envelops the nest entrance of stingless bees (Maidl, 1934, Hermann and Blum, 1981Sakagami et al, 1983. Generally, a lining of plant resins is especially thick near the nest entrance, the surface of which is kept viscid by the continuous addition of fresh resin, especially when under attack by ants (Howard, 1985;Khoo and Yong, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other stingless bees (Trigona, Plebeia, and Tetragona) even plaster invaders with resin. Plant resins play a prominent role in the elaborate construction of entrance tubes which generally allow only a tiny opening for foraging bees (Maidl, 1934, Hermann andBlum, 1981;Sakagami et al, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nests of stingless bees are protected by the walls of a cavity, leaving only a small nest entrance tube which must be guarded against predators and intruders. Therefore, colony defense in both groups is based on deployment of biologically active substances which repel ants and other insects (Hermann and Blum, 1981;Seeley, 1983Seeley, , 1985Burdock, 1998;Roubik, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Ant repellent resins of honeybees and stingless bees

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We measured the repellent effects of plant resins against the weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina. The resins were the sticky bands of the dwarf honeybees, Apis florea and A. andreniformis, propolis of the Western honeybee, A. mellifera and the nest entrance tubes of the stingless bees, Tetrigona apicalis, Lepidotrigona terminata, and Tetragonula collina. A bioassay was developed for testing the effects of these resins in field experiments by placing them along natural foraging pathways of ants' nests. A repellency index was generated to quantify this bioactivity. The sticky bands of dwarf honeybees and propolis of A. mellifera were significantly more repellent against O. smaragdina than were the entrance tube resins of the stingless bees. Nonetheless, the diverse, viscid and adhesive resins employed by these bees constitute a generally effective first-line of defense against depredations of a formidable adversary, the weaver ants.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ant repellent resins of honeybees and stingless bees

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thus, one can consider intermediate level parts as the tissues and organs of a complex insect society (see Wilson, 1985;Anderson and McShea, 2001 a, b, in prep.). Self-assemblages are only one class of intermediate-level parts; others include groups and teams (sensu Anderson and Franks, 2001), the set of individuals tackling a partitioned task, nests, and the various structures that ants build away from the nest, and are ic" heads that they use to block nest entrances during nest guarding (Hermann, 1981). A single individual can block the entrance satisfactorily in some species, but in Colobopsis truncatus several workers may also link together to form a functional doorway to plug an entrance (Szabó-Patay, 1928;Wilson, 1971: 159 -160; Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-assemblages in insect societies

2002

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In insect societies, a number of very striking collective structures are formed by individuals linking themselves to one another. One such example is an army ant bivouac. These structures are termed self-assemblages and are part of a more general and important aspect of insect societies -intermediate-level parts -in which functional grouplevel adaptive structures are formed. These parts are, in a sense, the tissues and organs of complex insect societies. Here we review the natural history of self-assemblages in insect societies. We find that at least 18 different types of structure exist: -assemblages are found in a variety of species of ants, bees, and wasps, but (as far as we are aware) not in termites. The function of these self-assemblages can be grouped under five broad categories which are not mutually exclusive: 1) defence, 2) pulling structures, 3) thermoregulation, 4) colony survival under inclement conditions, and 5) ease of passage when crossing an obstacle. The paucity of our knowledge concerning the factors that favour self-assemblage formation and the likely proximate mechanisms are highlighted.

show abstract

“…As a result, various defensive strategies have evolved in social insects (Hermann, 1984;Starr, 1990), with most being based on a co-ordinated collective response. Alarm pheromones, chemical substances produced by individuals to alert the colony to threat, are the principal means by which the majority of advanced social insects co-ordinate defence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alarm communication in Ropalidia social wasps

et al. 2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alarm pheromones, chemical substances produced by social insects to alert the colony to threat, are the principal means by which colony defence is co-ordinated. We present the results of a study on alarm behaviour in 5 swarming species of wasps belonging to the genus Ropalidia. These species show a remarkably efficient strategy of alarm communication, including visual display and attack synchronization. We show that pheromones released from the venom gland play an important role in alarm recruitment in species belonging to the Ropalidia flavopicta group, but not in Ropalidia sumatrae. We analysed the contents of the venom reservoirs content of four of the studied species by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Glands were found to contain a complex mixture of volatile compounds as well as spiroacetals of higher molecular weight. Interestingly, despite all species producing similar chemical compounds from the venom gland, these were found to elicit alarm behaviour in only those species that build nest envelopes, suggesting a link between chemical release of alarm behaviour and the evolution of nest architecture in Ropalidia wasps.

show abstract

Defensive Mechanisms in the Social Hymenoptera

Cited by 69 publications

References 249 publications

Ant repellent resins of honeybees and stingless bees

Ant repellent resins of honeybees and stingless bees

Self-assemblages in insect societies

Alarm communication in Ropalidia social wasps

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About