ArticleJournal of chemical ecology2011
Task group differences in cuticular lipids in the honey bee Apis mellifera.
Article in Journal of chemical ecology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed.
- A New Approach Integrating Brood-Associated Semiochemicals with Additional Feeding for Honey Bee (Insects · 2026Article
- Expression of Elongase- and Desaturase-Encoding Genes Shapes the Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of Honey Bees.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
- Article
- The gut microbiome differs between hygiene-performing and non-hygiene-performing worker honey bees.Insectes sociaux · 2025Article
- Testing learning as alternative to the blank slate hypothesis in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.PloS one · 2025Article
- Consistency and individuality of honeybee stinging behaviour across time and social contexts.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Deciphering the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of six European honey bee subspecies.BMC ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Non-lethal fungal infection could reduce aggression towards strangers in ants.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Interaction between honeybee mandibles and propolis.Beilstein journal of nanotechnology · 2022Article
- Effects of Synthetic Acaricides andVeterinary sciences · 2020Article
- The gut microbiome defines social group membership in honey bee colonies.Science advances · 2020Article
- Honey bee virus causes context-dependent changes in host social behavior.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2020Article
- The cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of honey bee workers develop via a socially-modulated innate process.eLife · 2019Article
- Honey bee workers generate low-frequency vibrations that are reliable indicators of their activity level.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2019Article
- Article
- Article
- Is the Salivary Gland Associated with Honey Bee Recognition Compounds in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)?Journal of chemical ecology · 2018Article
- Are Isomeric Alkenes Used in Species Recognition among Neo-Tropical Stingless Bees (Melipona Spp).Journal of chemical ecology · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Social insects are defined by their ability to divide labor among their numerous nestmates. This is achieved via a complex system of chemical communication that allows colonies to organize task activity so as to maximize the productivity of the colony. However, the mechanism by which social insects distinguish task groups among morphologically identical individuals remains unknown. Using the honey bee, Apis mellifera, as our model species, we investigated the presence of task-specific patterns in the cuticular lipids (n-alkanes, fatty acids, and alkenes) of bees. Cuticular lipids are known to play an essential role in the recognition processes of insects. We found task-specific features in the n-alkane and alkene profiles of bees, but no task-specific patterns in the fatty acid profile. Foragers, in particular, had elevated levels of n-alkanes relative to nurse and newly emerged bees, suggesting increased waterproofing. Newly emerged bees had low levels of cuticular lipids, supporting the Blank Slate theory and potentially explaining their acceptance into foreign colonies.
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Registered trials
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