Effects of Artificial Odors and Pheromones on Queen Discrimination by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.1)

Abstract

Honey bees in a swarm can distinguish and will prefer their own over a foreign queen. Continuous feeding of artificially scented syrup to the bees over a few days gradually diminishes their ability to discriminate. When artificial Nassanoff pheromone is released from a dispenser near a foreign queen, she is preferred to a familiar queen.