Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Comparée des Invertébrés, INRA-CNRS, F-91440, Bures-sur-Yvette, France.
J Chem Ecol. 1992 Nov;18(11):2041-53. doi: 10.1007/BF00981926.
Capping of workerApis mellifera cells is elicited by four fatty acid methyl esters (Methyl palmitate, methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, and methyl linolenate) that are present on the surface of the worker and drone larvae only a few hours before the cell is closed. The amount of the pheromone reaches its maximum value when the cell has just been capped, at 8.5 and at 10.25 days of age, respectively, for worker and drone larvae. Thereafter, the amount of the pheromone decreases to its initial level. These data suggest that the esters also have a role in the capping of the drone cells, the temporal signal allowing the worker bees to recognize the age of the larvae and then to do the appropriate behavior. Two pheromonal components, methyl palmitate and methyl linolenate, and the inactive ethyl palmitate are kairomones attractive toVarroa females. Their secretion by the larvae follows the same pattern of development as the pheromonal signal. The longer and greater kairomonal signal in drone larvae, compared to worker secretion, could explain the preference ofVarroa towards drone brood.
工蜂 A. mellifera 细胞的封盖是由仅在细胞封闭前几个小时存在于工蜂和雄蜂幼虫表面的四种脂肪酸甲酯（棕榈酸甲酯、油酸甲酯、亚油酸甲酯和亚麻酸甲酯）引起的。当细胞刚刚被封盖时，信息素的量达到最大值，分别为工蜂幼虫和雄蜂幼虫 8.5 和 10.25 天。此后，信息素的量下降到初始水平。这些数据表明，这些酯类物质也在雄蜂细胞的封盖中起作用，时间信号允许工蜂识别幼虫的年龄，然后采取适当的行为。两种信息素成分，棕榈酸甲酯和亚麻酸甲酯，以及非活性的棕榈酸乙酯，是对瓦螨有吸引力的引诱剂。它们由幼虫分泌，其发育模式与信息素信号相同。与工蜂分泌相比，雄蜂幼虫分泌的引诱剂信号更长、更强，这可以解释瓦螨对雄蜂幼虫的偏好。
