Honey Bee Communication and Pheromones

Vocabulary flashcards based on the key concepts related to honey bee communication and pheromones from the lecture notes.

Waggle dance

A dance performed by bees to communicate information about foraging locations.

Tremble dance

A dance signaling difficulty unloading nectar, encouraging increased efforts in nectar receiving.

Stop signal

A communication signal used by bees that indicates foragers should stop dancing after harassment at a feeder.

Shaking signal

A signal that influences bee activity at the start of foraging or at night, prompting bees to increase or decrease their activity.

Primer pheromones

Pheromones that cause slow developmental changes in the recipients, such as queen pheromones.

Releaser pheromones

Pheromones that cause rapid behavioral responses in the recipients, such as alarm pheromones.

Nest mate recognition

The process where bees use cues or labels to identify and accept or reject their nest mates.

Cuticular hydrocarbons

Waxy lipids primarily used by bees for nest mate recognition.

Queen mandibular gland pheromone (QMP)

A major queen pheromone involved in swarming and queen replacement, produced by the mandibular glands.

Messenger bees

Bees that spread queen pheromones throughout the nest by licking the queen and moving quickly.

Brood pheromone

A complex mixture of fatty acids produced by larvae that influences various behaviors in nurse bees and foragers.

Ethyl oleate

A pheromone produced by foragers that regulates foraging onset and division of labor.

Isopentyl acetate

An alarm pheromone released by bees, which smells like bananas and excites other bees to sting.

Nasonov pheromone

A pheromone blend used by bees for aggregation during foraging and swarming, known for its lemon grass scent.

Division of labor in bees

The specialization of tasks among worker bees, influenced by various pheromones.

Social insect pheromones

Chemicals produced by social insects that include alarm, aggregation, foraging, and reproductive pheromones.

Honey bee pheromones

Over 50 identified pheromones in honey bees that work together in complex blends.

Alarm pheromone

A chemical signal that indicates danger and stimulates aggression in other bees.

The role of foragers

Bees responsible for collecting nectar, which communicate with other bees about nectar processing and comb building.

Footprint pheromone

Pheromone left by the queen that inhibits queen cell production in crowded nests.

Behavioral responses to pheromones

The various actions that bees take in response to specific pheromones indicating different needs.

Ant and bee recognition

The differences between interspecific (between species) and intraspecific (within species) recognition.

Complex signal in brood pheromone

Brood pheromone's ability to induce multiple responses in different types of bees.

Chemical communication in honey bees

The use of pheromones for effective communication regarding foraging, alarm, and reproductive states.

Colony membership pheromones

Pheromones that help to identify members of the same colony and maintain social structure.

Function of the exocrine glands

Glands in social insects responsible for producing various pheromones for communication.

Pheromone blends

The combination of different pheromones to create a complex chemical signal conveying nuanced messages.