Attraction of reproductive honey bee swarms to artificial nests by Nasonov pheromone.
A crossover experimental design was established to test the attractancy of Nasonov pheromone to reproductive swarms of honey bees. Nineteen swarms were attracted to artificial nest cavities containing a slow-release blend of the Nasonov components citral, geraniol, and nerolic + geranic acids, and only four swarms were attracted to pheromone-free artificial nests. The results indicate that Nasonov pheromone plays a key role in the attraction of honey bee swarms to nest cavities.
Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, USDA-ARS, 2000 E. Allen Road, 85719, Tucson, Arizona.
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Schmidt