Exocrine secretions of bees X. 3,7-Dimethyldeca-2,6-dien-1,10-diol: A sex-specific compound fromNomada annulata (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae).

3,7-Dimethyldeca-2,6-dien-1,10-diol was isolated from male cephalic extracts of the cleptoparasitic or "cuckoo" bee,Nomada annulata. The compound is absent in female head extracts. This diol, previously known only from a male danaid butterfly, is a new bee natural product and is not found in the volatile exocrine secretions of the host bee,Andrena macra. The role of this compound in this parasite-host system, including the chemical basis ofNomada-Andrena associations, is discussed.