Brood Pheromone Can Modulate the Feeding Behavior of Apis mellifera Workers (Hytnenoptera: Apidae)

A honeybee brood pheromone, made of 10 simple fatty aliphatic esters previously described as important compounds in the chemical communication between brood and workers, was tested as an additional chemical stimulus in the artificial rearing of the qneens. Three of these compounds significantly affected queen rearing when they were applied in amounts similar to those naturally found on larval cuticle. Methyl stearate increased the acceptance of the queen cells, methyl linoleate enhanced the amounts of royal jelly deposited by the worker, and methyl palmitate improved the weight of the larvae. The role of these compounds in the chemical ecology of the larval feeding process and their practical use in beekeeping is discussed.