A scientific note on the comparison of airborne volatiles produced by commercial bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) and honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies

摘要

Investigators have shown (Stanghellini et al. 2000; Spiewok and Newman 2006; Hoffman et al. 2008) that commercial bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson, Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies can serve as potential alternative hosts for the small hive beetle (SHB, Aethina tumida Murray, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a honey bee pest (Lundie 1940; Neumann and Elzen 2004; Ellis and Hepburn 2006). Using olfactory choice tests, Graham et al. (2011) found that SHB attraction to bumble bee colonies is chemically mediated. Since SHBs are attracted to bumble bee and honey bee colonies, we expected the volatile profiles produced by bumble bee and honey bee colony components to be similar. To test this, airborne volatiles produced by bumble bee and honey bee adults, brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae), honey, stored pollen (= bee bread), and wax were collected and analyzed.