Alarm responses caused by newly identified compounds derived from the honeybee sting.

Twelve compounds identified from honeybee,Apis mellifera L., sting extracts were evaluated in a standardized laboratory test for their effectiveness in eliciting an alarm response from caged worker honeybees. Two-1-decanol and phenol-were judged ineffective as alarm pheromones. The other ten-1-butanol, isopentyl acetate, isopentyl alcohol, 1-hexanol, 2-heptyl acetate, 2-heptanol, 1-octanol, 1-acetoxy-2-octene, 2-nonyl acetate, and 1-acetoxy-2-nonene-produced alarm responses of similar speed and intensity. Three non-sting-derived compounds-β-ionone, methyl benzoate, andtrans-cinnamaldehyde-caused weak or no responses, indicating that the responses were not simply a reaction to concentrated odoriferous substances.