1 PRESTO "Intelligence and Synthesis", Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST): c/o National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305, Japan.
2 Inst. of Applied Biochemistry, Univ. of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305, Japan.
The Japanese honeybee (Apis cerana japonica Rad.:Acj) and the European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.:Am) share the same habitat in Japan. The red and white flower varieties of the oriental orchid (Cymbidium floribundum Lindl.:Cf) attract workers, drones, queens as well as the entire swarming colonies of Acj, but not of Am. The Nasonov gland and the mandibular glands extracts induced aggregation behaviour in both species, but the GC profiles of the extracts from Am and Acj were significantly different. This is due to the fact that the flower scent mimics the Nasonov and mandibular glands pheromone of Acj. We report here: (1) the identification of more than 15 semiochemical compounds ((S)-linalool, 4 types of linalool oxide, fatty acids) of Cf and Nasonov gland of Acj, (2) 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid was found in Cf scent and in the mandibular glands of Acj, (3) the identification of Cf original compounds (alkanals, gamma-lactones, Alkanols) attract only Acj, (4) 2-heptanone was also found in scent and in the mandibular glands of both Acj and Am, (5) differences between Acj and Am might be due to differences in their semiochemical components as well as their sensitivity to and recognition of these semiochemicals.