Pheromones serve as a sophisticated language throughout the animal kingdom, particularly within highly organized insect societies like those of honey bees. These chemical signals, released by an animal, prompt specific behavioral or physiological changes in other individuals of the same species. In a honey bee colony, pheromones are the primary means of communication, orchestrating everything from reproduction to foraging and defense. This chemical communication system helps maintain the colony’s structure and function.
Understanding Queen Mandibular Pheromone
The queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) is a complex blend of chemical compounds produced mainly by the queen bee’s mandibular glands in her head. This blend consists of at least ten different substances. Among its known components are fatty acid derivatives and aromatic compounds, with (E)-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid, or 9-ODA, being one of the first identified and most studied.
The specific combination and ratios of these compounds give QMP its powerful and varied effects within the colony. While 9-ODA was initially recognized as a significant component, research has shown that other compounds, such as (R)- and (S)-9-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid (HDA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethanol (HVA), are also part of the complete attractive blend. The synergistic action of these multiple components creates QMP’s full influence.
The Pheromone’s Many Colony Roles
QMP plays a key role in regulating reproductive activities within a honey bee colony. It acts as a primer pheromone, influencing worker bee physiology by largely inhibiting ovary development. This suppression ensures the queen remains the sole egg-layer, maintaining reproductive dominance and preventing chaos from numerous workers laying eggs.
Beyond reproductive control, QMP is instrumental in maintaining social cohesion among colony members. The pheromone attracts and retains worker bees around the queen, creating a “retinue” that constantly attends to her needs. This attraction helps to prevent absconding and reduces the likelihood of swarming.
QMP also influences the foraging behavior of worker bees. The presence of a strong queen signal, communicated through QMP, can modulate the motivation and efficiency of foragers. This chemical signal helps coordinate the colony’s efforts in collecting nectar and pollen, ensuring sufficient resources for the hive.
During the process of swarming, QMP helps to stabilize and guide the departing swarm. As the swarm clusters temporarily before finding a new nest site, the queen’s pheromone keeps the thousands of bees together. This cohesion is crucial for the swarm’s survival as it migrates to a new location.
The pheromone also functions as a recognition signal, allowing worker bees to identify and accept their queen. This is important when introducing a new queen or confirming the presence of an existing one. The specific chemical profile of QMP helps workers distinguish their queen from foreign individuals, promoting acceptance and preventing aggression.
Finally, QMP also attracts drones for mating flights. As the queen embarks on her nuptial flights, the pheromone she releases attracts male bees from various colonies. This ensures successful mating, which is fundamental for the queen’s ability to lay fertilized eggs and colony continuation.
How Bees Communicate with Pheromones
The distribution of QMP throughout the honey bee colony primarily occurs through a process called trophallaxis, the direct transfer of food and other substances among bees. Worker bees in direct contact with the queen ingest or pick up the pheromone, then share it with other workers through mouth-to-mouth feeding. This constant exchange ensures the queen’s chemical message reaches a wide range of individuals within the hive.
Beyond trophallaxis, direct contact with the queen’s body or surfaces she has recently touched also contributes to pheromone spread. Worker bees constantly groom and interact with the queen, picking up traces of QMP on their antennae and bodies. As these workers move through the hive, they inadvertently spread the pheromone to other bees and onto the comb surfaces.
Worker bees detect QMP and other pheromones using specialized receptors on their highly sensitive antennae. Once detected, the chemical signals trigger a cascade of physiological and behavioral responses within individual bees and across the entire colony. These responses range from subtle changes in worker bee physiology, such as ovary suppression, to more overt behavioral shifts like increased foraging activity or clustering around the queen.
Utilizing QMP in Beekeeping
Understanding and utilizing queen mandibular pheromone has practical applications in beekeeping. Synthetic QMP, or compounds that mimic its effects, can be used for swarm control. By introducing QMP, beekeepers can sometimes deter a colony from swarming, helping to keep their bees together and productive.
Synthetic QMP is also valuable in queen rearing and the introduction of new queens. Beekeepers can use QMP to increase the acceptance rate of a newly introduced queen or queen cells into a hive. This can reduce the likelihood of the colony rejecting or killing the new queen.
Additionally, QMP or similar attractants can be incorporated into traps or lure boxes. These tools are sometimes used to attract stray swarms for easier capture and re-housing. Research continues into potential future applications of QMP, including its role in integrated pest management strategies, though these are largely experimental.