I am a plant biochemist and have no experience with bees so any information,
no matter how trivial it seems will be appreciated. I am trying to find out
if bees leave any melittin on flowers they have visited. This might be by
leakage from the venom sac (unlikely), melittin elswhere in the bee, either on
the outside of the body (eg. stinging in the hive?) or possibly in the fluids
of the glands associated with various mouth parts.
 
In searching literature it appears that antibodies have been made that are
directed against melittin. Have they been used to detect melittin on visited
flowers or various bee fluids or parts?
 
Thanks for your help
 
Lon Kaufman
University of Illinois at Chicago
U12998@uicvm