title: Behavioral Evidence for Olfactory-Based Location of Honeybee Colonies by the Scarab Oplostomus haroldi.
abstract: The Afro-tropical scarab Oplostomus haroldi (Witte) is a pest of honeybees in East Africa with little information available on its chemical ecology. Recently, we identified a female-produced contact sex pheromone, (Z)-9-pentacosene, from the cuticular lipids that attracted males. Here, we investigated the kairomonal basis of host location in O. haroldi. We used coupled gas chromatography/electroantennographic detection (GC/EAD) and GC/mass spectrometry to identify antennally-active compounds from volatiles collected from honeybee colonies. Antennae of both sexes of the beetle consistently detected seven components, which were identified as 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2,3-butanediol, butyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, butyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, and methyl benzoate. In olfactometer bioassays, both sexes responded to the full seven-component synthetic blend over solvent controls, but chose honeybee colony odors over the blend. These findings suggest that the seven compounds are components of a kairomone from honeybee colonies used by O. haroldi.
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Ayuka T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Fombong
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mutunga
authors.affiliation: USDA/ARS-CMAVE, 1600/1700 SW23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA.
authors.forename: Peter E A
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Teal
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. btorto@icipe.org.
authors.forename: Baldwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Torto
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D000475:Alkenes / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D001565:Benzoates / Q000378:metabolism; D002072:Butylene Glycols / Q000378:metabolism; D002087:Butyrates / Q000378:metabolism; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D000439:Pentanols / Q000378:metabolism; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism; D012903:Smell; D000071442:Taxis Response
chemical_list: C469755:9-pentacosene; D000085:Acetates; D000475:Alkenes; D001565:Benzoates; D002072:Butylene Glycols; D002087:Butyrates; D000439:Pentanols; D010675:Pheromones; C022793:n-butyl n-butyrate; C026978:2,3-butylene glycol; C006848:butyl acetate; C044605:methyl benzoate; C020377:isoamyl acetate
keywords: Cetoniid; Coleoptera; Esters; Honeybee; Kairomone; Large hive beetle; Scarabaeidae