Abstract
Workers of the neotropical robber bee species Lestrimelitta limao do not visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar. Instead, they raid nests of other stingless bees (Meliponinae) in organized groups of up to 1000 individuals. During a raid they collect honey, pollen and nest construction material. The significance of species-specific volatiles for the organization of raids by L. limao was originally postulated by Moure et al. (1958) and later by Nogueira-Neto (1970). Using biotests, I attempted to characterize those volatiles which release those behavioural reactions in the robber bees observed during naturally occurring raids.
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References
Moure JS, Nogueira-Neto P, Kerr WE (1958) Evolutionary problems among the Meliponinae. Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress on Entomology, vol 2, pp 481–493
Nogueira-Neto P (1970) Behavior problems related to the pillages made by some parasitic stingless bees (Meliponinae, Apidae). Essays in Memory of T. C. Schnairla, pp 416–434
Radtke R (1994) Die kleptoparasitische neotropische Biene Lestrimelitta limao: Verhalten und chemische Kommunikation bei Raubzügen auf Nester anderer Stachelloser Bienen. Thesis, University of Tübingen
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Radtke, R. (1998). Chemical Signals During Raids by the Robber Bee Lestrimelitta limao on Other Stingless Bee Nests (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae). In: Frosch, P.J., Johansen, J.D., White, I.R. (eds) Fragrances. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-80340-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-80340-6_6
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