Skip to main content

Alarm Pheromones Do Not Mediate Rapid Shifts in Honey Bee Guard Acceptance Threshold

Journal of Chemical Ecology volume 36, pages 1306–1308 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) guards discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates at the hive entrance. The acceptance threshold of guards is known to change adaptively, for example becoming less permissive when the number of intruder bees from other colonies increases. These adaptive shifts can occur within minutes. What is unknown is the mechanism behind this rapid shift. It was hypothesized that alarm pheromones released by guards may cause the adoption of a less permissive acceptance threshold. Here, we tested this hypothesis on five discriminator hives by using a behavioral assay. We used three amounts each of iso-pentyl acetate (IPA) and 2-heptanone (2H), which are the major components of the pheromones from the sting and the mandibular glands, respectively. Biologically relevant levels of chemicals were delivered to the hive entrance platform via an air pump. We found no effect of either IPA or 2H: there was no change in guard acceptance of either nestmate (on average, 91% accepted) or non-nestmate (on average, 30% accepted) under any of the pheromone treatments compared to the pentane control (98% nestmates accepted and 32% non-nestmates accepted). Therefore, we reject the hypothesis that the presence of IPA or 2H causes a rapid shift of guard acceptance threshold.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1

References

  • Boch, R., and Shearer, D. A. 1962. Identification of Geraniol as the active component in Nassanoff pheromone of the honey bee. Nature 194:704–706.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boch, R., and Shearer, D. A. 1971. Chemical releasers of alarm behaviours in the honey-bee, Apis mellifera. J. Insect Physiol. 17:2277–2285.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boch, R., Shearer, D. A., and Stone, B. C. 1962. Identification of iso-amyl acetate as an active component in the sting pheromone of the honey bee. Nature 195:1018–1020.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, C. B., and Free, J. B. 1952. The behaviour of worker honeybees at the hive entrance. Behaviour 4:262–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Couvillon, M. J., Robinson, E. J. H., Atkinson, B., Child, L., Dent, K. R., and Ratnieks, F. L. W. 2008. En Garde: Rapid shifts in honey bee (Apis mellifera) guarding behavior is triggered by onslaught of conspecific intruders. An. Behav. 76:225–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Couvillon, M. J., Roy, G. G. F., and Ratnieks, F. L. W. 2009. Recognition errors by honey bee (Apis mellifera) guards demonstrate overlapping cues in conspecific recognition. J. Apicult. Res. 48:225–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downs, S. G., and Ratnieks, F. L. W. 2000. Adaptive shifts in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) guarding behavior support predictions of the acceptance threshold model. Behav. Ecol. 11:326–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Free, J. B. 1987. Pheromones of Social Bees. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goubault, M., Batchelor, T. P., Linforth, R. S. T., Taylor, A. J., and Hardy, I. C. W. 2006. Volatile emission by contest losers revealed by real-time chemical analysis. Proc. Royal Soc. B 273:2853–2859.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maschwitz, U. 1964. Gefahrenalarmstoffe und Gefahrenalarmierung bei sozialen Hymenopteren. Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Physiologie 47:596–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

MJC is supported by a grant from The Nineveh Charitable Trust.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Heikki Helanterä

    Present address: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Apiculture & Social Insects, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK

    Margaret J. Couvillon, Sarah N. Barton, Jennifer A. Cohen, Onna K. Fabricius, Martin H. Kärcher, Lee S. Cooper, Matthew J. Silk, Heikki Helanterä & Francis L. W. Ratnieks

Authors
  1. Margaret J. Couvillon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sarah N. Barton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jennifer A. Cohen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Onna K. Fabricius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Martin H. Kärcher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Lee S. Cooper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Matthew J. Silk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Heikki Helanterä
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Francis L. W. Ratnieks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret J. Couvillon.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Couvillon, M.J., Barton, S.N., Cohen, J.A. et al. Alarm Pheromones Do Not Mediate Rapid Shifts in Honey Bee Guard Acceptance Threshold. J Chem Ecol 36, 1306–1308 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9881-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-010-9881-4

Key Words

  • Alarm pheromones
  • Honey bee
  • Apis mellifera
  • Nestmate recognition
  • Acceptance threshold