Queen Bees and Pheromones: what they are and what they are for
Pheromones are particular olfactory hormones produced by bees, especially by queen bees to communicate with the swarm.
Pheromones are able to attract a large number of components and are widely used by beekeepers to better manage the interventions related to their work. In fact, pheromones greatly influence the behavior of bees . They can be defined as a kind of chemical message capable of giving information to bees.
Pheromones can control the actions of entire swarms and are perceptible even from miles away. Bees produce around 36 different types of pheromones .
What are pheromones
Bees are known as social insects and the hive is often referred to as a living super organism. At the base of this collaboration mechanism, we find the presence of thousands of workers who work for a common purpose. But how is it possible to coordinate all functioning perfectly with such a large number of individuals? The answer lies in the astonishing ability to communicate fast and effective between the members of the colony .
The types of pheromones produced can be divided into primary and secondary. The primary ones are obviously those produced by the queen and are indispensable for the orders to be given to the swarm based on the needs and needs of the sovereign who must always maintain an optimal state of health but in addition to this, communication takes place to ensure that the hive is always well organized. The queen can tell the bees how much to process their production and a lot of other information.
Different functions of olfactory hormones
The queen bee produces different chemical messages that can be stimulators and therefore induce bees to work on something or inhibitors, depending on the function. When it comes to inhibitory pheromones, the queen tries to interrupt the work of the bees to return all attention to herself. This often happens before the replacement of her where the bees are planning the birth of a new, younger queen.
Among the primary pheromones, we also find those produced by the brood. The brood pheromones essentially have the function of making nurse bees understand that the larvae are present and in what quantity. Through this method of communication, bees are also able to understand the age of the larvae and consequently their general and nutritional needs.
Controlling Bees Behavior
The queen bee can greatly affect the behavior of bees, in fact the swarm makes common decisions in a uniform and cohesive manner. The queen gives them information regarding the needs of the hive. The closer the bees are to the substance, the more it will be able to have mind control over her instincts.
The queen's pheromones are also used before the nuptial flight to communicate to the drones that the bee is ready for mating. Pheromones spread very quickly among bees and are a truly unique way of communicating. In beekeeping they are widely used to facilitate interventions and make bees more docile.
Mandibular pheromone
And now we come to the best known type of pheromone, the queen's mandibular one. This type of olfactory hormone or the mandibular pheromone , indicates the actual presence of a sovereign bee that bees perceive with grandeur. The message that this chemical compound induces is a reassurance towards bees that they feel complete and safe. On the contrary, when it is missing the bees, they immediately perceive the disappearance of the queen and immediately identify themselves in a condition of orphanage. A hive is able to function only if in possession of a queen who can reproduce and keep the birth of new individuals always active. In cases where the mandibular pheromone is absent, the bees immediately go into a state of alarm and this leads them to immediately start building new cells.
When the queen bee stops producing pheromones
The queen uses this communication method a lot to keep the cohesion of the colony always firm. However, as time progresses, the queen is no longer able to produce enough pheromones to control bees. When a queen is old, the other bees start producing royal cells from which new queen bees will spawn. The current ruler is very annoyed by all this and she produces pheromones that inhibit the workers to build new cells. She tries to delay her replacement as much as possible but at a certain point her age does not allow her to develop enough pheromones to control the bees , which at that point will be interested in a new one. queen who will take her place. At this stage, the older queen, having completed her task, will be forced to leave the hive along with a small part of the swarm that will support her for the rest of her days. This process is called swarming .
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