Posted on: 02 March, 2017
Author: Alexander P
The use of a label, such as aphrodisiac, can nevertheless be criticized as can the labels attached to many pheromones, since it derives from the final result of the behavior and thus assumes that the ... The use of a label, such as aphrodisiac, can nevertheless be criticized as can the labels attached to many pheromones, since it derives from the final result of the behavior and thus assumes that the behavior was aimed toward that goal (Kennedy 1972). Part of the problem is clearly the heavy anthropomorphic overtones carried by the word (Comfort ch. 20) and in the assumption that an aphrodisiac is always ‘successful’. Courtship pheromone might avoid this problem since it species only when the pheromone is used and does not speculate on the outcome. However, aphrodisiac is now an established word and if the dangers in its use are borne in mind it does usefully describe a functionally distinct group of pheromones. It is used here according to Butler’s denition and thus only three criteria are required: the substance must be a pheromone; it must be released after the insects have come together; and it must, as far as is known, clearly facilitate courtship and/ or copulation. Most insect species probably employ sex pheromones which act as stimulants when the sexes come into near or direct contact (Jacobson 1972; Shorey 1973). The literature abounds with references to such effects, but most are anecdotal or circumstantial and only the few which have been experimentally analyzed in any detail will be discussed here. There are different types of pheromones you should consider. Honey bee queen substance: One of the most versatile best pheromones known is the queen substance of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. This substance, 9-oxodec-trans -2-enoic acid, is produced by the mandibular glands of the queen but not the workers. Depending on the context, it can function as an attractant for workers in colony cohesion and swarming, as an inhibitor of queen cell construction and of ovary development in workers, and as a sex attractant and a mating stimulant for drones (Butler 1967a; Gary 1970, and ch. 11). Drone bees attracted by the queen substance to an experimental area, closely examined queens, worker bees and models of queen bees as long as they were suspended eight m above ground (Butler 1967b). The drones conned their mount- ing almost entirely to queens, workers, or models which had open sting-chambers. However, the drones did not attempt to grasp a model even with an open sting chamber unless 9-oxodec-trans-2-enoic acid was present. Then they would seize and attempt to copulate with it. Butler concluded that both open sting-chamber and odor of queen substance are required stimuli to induce a drone to mount a queen in flight and that the queen substance functions as an aphrodisiac. Clearly this short- range effect of the queen substance in releasing drone sexual behavior is highly dependent on the context of perception. However, the behavior pattern may not be quite as straightforward as this (Gary ch. 11). Mandibular glands producing the queen substance can be excised from virgin queens, before the glands become functional, but this procedure does not inhibit all queens from mating successfully (Morse et al. 1962). The mandibular glands of queen bees also produce a series of ten-carbon acids (Callow et al. 1964). Their function, if any, is unknown although they are apparently not active individually in sex attraction (Butler and Fairey 1964). Butler (1971) has since suggested that a further unidentified pheromone from the abdominal tergites may stimulate mounting and copulation. The indications are that there is a lot more to discover about honey bee behavior supposedly mediated by queen substance alone. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com Alexander P is a blogger that studies pheromones. He is from Los Angeles, CA.