Bees are incredible creatures that are responsible for a large percentage of our pollination and thriving food crops. Bees are reliant on their olfactory senses, which is what makes their unique pheromones such an integral and essential part of a bee colony's survival.
Honeybee Colony Pheromones
Pheromones, along with the famous waggle dance, are considered one of the most critical communications among bees.
Pheromones communicate multiple things and are excreted and effective in communication among bees from the same colony. The three bees in hives include a queen, workers, and males. Pheromones allow communication about the complex functions required for a thriving beehive. Pheromones also work effectively in adapting to unforeseen events in the environment. The use of pheromones is used in every aspect of bee life. Queens ready to mate and lay eggs triggers the workers to forage and defend the hive. The establishment and demise of beehives depend mainly on communication done through pheromones.
Most pheromones are classified as primer pheromones and are organized into functions that include recruitment, mating, and alarm. Pheromones drive social insects, of which bees are one.
The Queen
The honeybee queen carries quite a burden to ensure a colony’s function and reproduction. The queen is solely responsible for laying all the eggs in the hive, and as she gets older, her pheromone release will change and become weaker, which is also a signal to start grooming new potential queens and swarming. The queen’s scents send signals to the other bees, and she orchestrates the behaviors and group actions within the colony.
A new queen bee will release pheromones to activate mating behavior in drones, of which one will be chosen to mate with the queen, providing her with all the eggs she will lay in her lifetime. Once a new queen is established, she uses her pheromones to attract workers who tend to her every need.
Can People Smell Bee Pheromones?
Because bees use scents to find their hives, when bees swarm, it is believed that humans can smell something that resembles lemon. Another time when humans have reported smelling bees releasing pheromones is when a bee stings, it releases the alarm pheromone which is thought to smell similar to bananas. This alarm pheromone sends signals to other bees that there is a threat and they need to return to defend their hive.
The intentional release of specific primer pheromones of bees in different situations brings a deeper understanding of why bees may attack as a group when threatened or follow a person who has been stung and follow them.
Bee Pheromones Penetrate Clothing and Bee Suits
Beekeepers have experienced bee pheromones on a level that most people never will. Experienced beekeepers share that when they are bathed in bee attack pheromones, they penetrate their suits and, to some degree, the clothing they are wearing underneath. It is hard to imagine, but bee pheromones are plentiful and robust and have also been known to stick around for a day or two.
Smells to Repel Bees
Since bees have such incredible olfactory senses, smell can initiate behavior within the colony and act as a natural deterrent for those wanting to keep bees at bay.
Some known scents that bees do not like are mint, citronella, eucalyptus, citrus, and clove. Any of these bee-deterring oils can be added to water in a spray bottle and sprayed safely around the pool area and garden. Some people are allergic to bees, so taking measures to keep them further from your living space is not considered inhumane. Alternatively, it is considered a natural way to deter unwanted bee activity.
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When it comes to the survival of social bee colonies and the overall health of colonies in a region, remember that they are driven mainly by the scent of the queen. A beehive absent of a healthy and egg-laying queen can become dysfunctional and more vulnerable to predators and disease. Behaviors, including mating, alarm, and swarming, are all triggered by the release of pheromones. Understanding the necessity of these scents reminds us that windy and stormy weather can certainly interfere with the process. In weather where pheromones may be lost, many beekeepers place things in the bees' flight path from the colony to ensure they find their way back. Additionally, water sources may be placed along the flight path so disoriented bees can still get what they need until they can return to the hive in better conditions.
Want to know more? Contact your local beekeeper and find out about bees in your area. Local honey is known to have immense health benefits, and local beekeepers often have great insight into local colonies and some great stories!
Contact D-Tek today! Call today at 760-224-3040.