C-6-2

CHEMICAL ECOLOGY IN THE JAPANESE HONEYBEE, APISCERANA JAPONICA RAD. :COMPARISON OF WORKER PHEROMONES WITH THOSE OFA. MELLIFERA L.
Shigeru Matsuyama, Takahisa Suzuki, and Hiromi Sasagawa¹
Inst. of Applied Biochem., Univ. of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305,JAPAN.
¹Intelligence and Synthesis, PRESTO JST c/o National Instituteof Sericultural and Entomological Science, 1-2 Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki,305, JAPAN.

Unusual attraction of Apis cerana japonica Rad. (Acj) to anoriental orchid flower (Cymbidium floribundum Lindl.) prompted usto do a comparative study on the pheromone chemistry of Acj and Am. TheNasonov gland, mandibular gland (MG), and gland with associated sting weredissected or pulled out from foragers of Acj and Am, and extracted withether. Chemical analyses and bioassay revealed that both the Nasonov andmandibular gland components of Acj differ significantly from those of Am.However, sting gland components were similar between the two species. Inthe Nasonov gland extract of Acj, none of the compounds known as Nasonovpheromone in Am was detected. Instead, linalool, linalool oxide, 2-phenylethanoland fatty acids were identified in the active fractions. The quantity oflinalool oxide was estimated as ca. 5ng /insect. Both linalool and linalooloxide showed strong attractiveness to Acj workers in a laboratory bioassay.3-Hydroxyoctanoic acid (3-HOA) was identified as a major MG component inAcj. The Amount of 3-HOA per insect (12ng) was about the same level of10-hydroxydecanoic acid found in Am extract. 2-heptanone, known as oneof the alarm pheromone in Am, was also detected in the Acj extract in aquantity 10 times smaller (0.2 micro g/insect) than that in Am. The stinggland extracts showed a similar GC profile between the two species. Isopentylacetate, (Z)-11-eicosen-1-ol and five other acetates were identified asthe common components in the sting glands of both species.