In my earlier posting today about the Nasanov gland pheromone
(10:07a.m., 7 April), I failed to address Bill Bartlett's relevant comment
of 6 April, as follows:
 
********
 
"Today I am wearing my scientific hat.  <grin>
 
"Here in the State of Maryland, USA, upon request you can get a small plastic
vial containing synthetic pheromone to use as an attractant to bait hives in
hopes of catching a swarm.
 
"Preparation:  Rub small amount ( one dab from open end of vial) on fingers of
right hand.
 
"Action: Place hand on landing board at front of hive. Very slowly at first
until whole hand is resting on board. Observed action of bees going in and
out of hive and around my fingers.  Moved fingers slowly.  Moved fingers
faster.
 
"Conclusion:  Nothing happened.  Final thoughts:  Bees didn't care if I was
there with or without the pheromone.
 
*******
 
   Bill is quite correct.  We have there further evidence that the Nasanov
gland exudate is not a general attractant, per se.
 
   By contrast, swarm scouts searching for an appropriate cavity will find
that same chemical very attractive, as covered in the following article:
 
  1992  Wenner, A.M.  Swarm movement: A mystery explained.  Am. Bee J.  132
(1):27-31.
 
*******
 
   Consider, instead, that the Nasanov gland substance is a "swarm
movement" pheromone, an "orientation" pheromone, and/or a "settling"
pheromone.  Suddenly, all the behavioral pattens observed by beekeepers
around the world make a lot more sense.  If, for example, Bill Bartlett had
shaken a number of bees out onto the ground and placed the plastic vial
(lure) just upwind of that spot, he would have found that those displaced
bees would have moved toward the lure.  If he had observed scout bees
checking out cavities, an addition of the lure to one of those cavities
would have resulted in an increased activity there.  Also, some of those
searching scouts would have even approached his fingers from downwind ---
as has happened to me when setting out swarm hives.
 
   When will the beekeeping books incorporate this sort of information?
Don't hold your breath.  Rely, instead, on what the bees tell you.
 
   I covered that issue in an invited 1989 review article
("Concept-centered versus Organism-centered Biology."  American Zoologist.
29,1177-1197).  That is, we should attend more to what animals do than to
what theory dictates that they should do.
 
                                                        Adrian
 
Adrian M. Wenner                         (805) 893-2838 (UCSB office)
Ecol., Evol., & Marine Biology           (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara           (805) 963-8508 (home office & FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106
 
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*  "...scientists are paradoxically resistant to change, even when    *
*  confronted with evidence that virtually demands change of them."   *
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*                                 Barber, 1960 (in Greenberg, 1983)   *
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