Alarm scent.

[Bee Happy]

I saw Brian indicate that honeybee alarm scent is like bananas - My shiny new chemistry book claims they are one and the same chemical.
it is:   C7H14O2  (isopentyl acetate)  it says that each sting releases about a microgram  - way less than a drop but enough to get their attention and eventually yours. - thought you might find that interesting.

[Kathyp]

ok mr chemist  :-D  they release that scent when they are not stinging also.  is it from a separate gland, from the stinger, ??. 

[Bee Happy]

I bet someone else knows that - I just quoted my chemistry book  :-P

[Cindi]

There are two glands that emit these "alarm" and "sting" pheromones.  Studied that lots.  There is two types of pheromones, primer and releaser, which have different effects upon the bees' action.  The Koschevnikov gland is located near the sting and is the "alarm" pheromone" the other is the "sting" pheromone, released when the stinger is everted.  This incredible amount of pheromones involved in the honeybees life are nothing short of astounding.  I did a search in google for you so you can more easily read some really good information and quote some text below from that article.  Read it, and if you want to know more, go to the wiki link I'll link to.  It is very cool and interesting stuff.  Have that wonderful and most awesomely beautiful day, health.  Cindi

Quote from wikipedia:
"Honeybees have one of the most complex pheromonal communication systems found in nature, possessing 15 known glands that produce an array of compounds.[1][2] Pheromones are produced as a liquid and transmitted by direct contact as a liquid or as a vapor. Pheromones may be volatile or non-volatile.

The pheromones are chemical messengers secreted by a queen, drone, worker bee or laying worker bee that elicit a response in other bees. The chemical messages are received by the bee's antenna and other body parts. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pheromones can be grouped into releaser pheromones with short term effects and primer pheromones with long term effects.

Primer pheromones change the physiology of the recipient. Releaser pheromones change the behavior of the recipient. Releaser pheromones have a short term effect and they trigger an almost immediate behavioral response from the receiving bee. Under certain conditions a pheromone can act as both a releaser and primer pheromone.

Pheromones are NOT single chemicals, but rather a complex mixture of numerous chemicals in different percentages.[3][4]
[edit] Types of Honeybee Pheromones
[edit] Alarm pheromone

Two main alarm pheromones have been identified in honeybee workers. One is released by the Koschevnikov gland, near the sting shaft, and consists of more than 40 chemical compounds, including isopentyl acetate (IPA), butyl acetate, 1-hexanol, n-butanol, 1-octanol, hexyl acetate, octyl acetate, n-pentyl acetate and 2-nonanol. These chemical compounds have low molecular weights, are highly volatile, and appear to be the least specific of all pheromones. Alarm pheromones are released when a bee stings another animal, and attract other bees to the location and causes the other bees to behave defensively, i.e. sting or charge. Smoke can mask the bees' alarm pheromone. The other alarm pheromone is released by the mandibular glands and consists of 2-heptanone, which is also a highly volatile substance. This compound has a repellent effect and it was proposed that it is used to deter potential enemies and robber bees. Interestingly, the amounts of 2-heptanone increase with the age of bees and becomes higher in the case of foragers. It was therefore suggested that 2-heptanone is used by foragers to scent-mark recently visited and depleted foragers, which indeed are avoided by foraging bees."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee_pheromones

[Kathyp]

there ya go  :-D

[ziffabeek]

It would be cool if we could get a 2-heptanone spray or lotion to put on your hands or scent yourself before inspecting, then they'd all just avoid you naturally!

ziffa

[hardwood]

Thanks for the post Cindi, I found it quite informative.

Scott

[Michael Bush]

>It would be cool if we could get a 2-heptanone spray or lotion to put on your hands or scent yourself before inspecting, then they'd all just avoid you naturally!

I'm going to bet on them stinging you...

[ziffabeek]

Not my sweet bees . . . .  ! ;)  lol.

love,
ziffa

[Bee Happy]

:D looks like Cindi took that one to the goalposts.