Revealing the Function of the Cephalic Secretions of the Bee Trigona fulviventris Guerin (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Authors

  • Andrea Paola Citalán-González Departamento de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
  • David Alavez-Rosas Departamento de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8695-7329
  • Leopoldo Cruz-López Departamento de Ecología de Artrópodos y Manejo de Plagas, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9569-1251

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i3.11412

Keywords:

EAG, GC-MS, chemical communication, social bees, pheromones, stingless bees

Abstract

Stingless bees carry out efficient chemical communication mediated by volatiles, which they produce mainly in the labial and mandibular glands in the head. In this study, we evaluated the behavioral and electrophysiological response of the stingless bee Trigona fulviventris to its cephalic volatiles. We performed field bioassays to assess the effects of cephalic extract, labial gland extract, and mandibular gland extract on worker behavior. In addition, we evaluated the electroantennographic (EAG) response to the extracts. Later, we analyzed the extracts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In no-choice bioassays, the bees showed defensive behavior when exposed to extracts of the head and mandibular glands. In the double-choice bioassays, we observed that the bees were attracted to food sources marked with the extract from the labial gland. We identified nerol, citral, and 2-heptanol as the main components of the mandibular gland. In contrast, octyl hexanoate was the main component of the labial gland. The bees exhibit antennal responses to the extracts and individual compounds.

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Published

2025-08-07

How to Cite

Citalán-González, A. P., Alavez-Rosas, D., & Cruz-López, L. (2025). Revealing the Function of the Cephalic Secretions of the Bee Trigona fulviventris Guerin (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Sociobiology, 72(3), e11412. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i3.11412

Issue

Vol. 72 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Research Article - Bees

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Copyright (c) 2025 Andrea Paola Citalán-González, David Alavez-Rosas, Leopoldo Cruz-López

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