Bioassay of compounds derived from the honeybee sting

Nine compounds identified from honeybee,Apis mettifera L., sting extracts and one compound identified from the honeybee mandibular gland were evaluated in a standardized laboratory test for their effectiveness in eliciting an alarm response from caged honeybees. Two,n-decyl acetate and benzyl alcohol, were judged ineffective as alarm pheromones. The remaining eight-2-nonanol, isopentyl acetate,n-butyl acetate,n-hexyl acetate, benzyl acetate, isopentyl alcohol, andn-octyl acetate from the sting and 2-heptanone from the mandibular gland-produced responses of similar frequency and strength.