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Hexyl Decanoate, the First Trail Pheromone Compound Identified in a Stingless Bee, Trigona recursa

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Abstract

Foragers of many species of stingless bees guide their nestmates to food sources by means of scent trails deposited on solid substrates between the food and the nest. The corresponding trail pheromones are generally believed to be produced in the mandibular glands, although definitive experimental proof has never been provided. We tested the trail following behavior of recruits of Trigona recursa in field experiments with artificial scent trails branching off from natural scent trails of this stingless bee. First-time recruits (newcomers) did not follow these trails when they were laid with pure solvent or mandibular gland extract. However, they did follow trails made with labial gland extract. Chemical analyses of labial gland secretions revealed that hexyl decanoate was the dominant component (72.4 ± 1.9% of all volatiles). Newcomers were significantly attracted to artificial trails made with synthetic hexyl decanoate, demonstrating its key function in eliciting scent-following behavior. According to our experiments with T. recursa, the trail pheromone is produced in the labial glands and not in the mandibular glands. Hexyl decanoate is the first component of a trail pheromone identified and proved to be behaviorally active in stingless bees.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Sidnei Mateus and Geusa de Freitas for their help in locating the bee nests on the University Campus. This study was supported by grant P-14328 of the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) to F.G.B. and by money made available by the “Fonds der Chemischen Industrie” to W.F.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069, Ulm, Germany

    Stefan Jarau & Manfred Ayasse

  2. Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 6, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Claudia M. Schulz & Wittko Francke

  3. Department for Neurobiology and Behavioral Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Michael Hrncir & Friedrich G. Barth

  4. Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

    Ronaldo Zucchi

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  1. Stefan Jarau
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  2. Claudia M. Schulz
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  3. Michael Hrncir
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  4. Wittko Francke
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  5. Ronaldo Zucchi
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  6. Friedrich G. Barth
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  7. Manfred Ayasse
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Correspondence to Stefan Jarau.

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Jarau, S., Schulz, C.M., Hrncir, M. et al. Hexyl Decanoate, the First Trail Pheromone Compound Identified in a Stingless Bee, Trigona recursa . J Chem Ecol 32, 1555–1564 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9069-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-006-9069-0

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