Semiochemical basis of the retinue response to queen honey bees

The substance produced by the mandibular gland complex (HQMC) of queen honey bees is considered to be responsible for retinue formation in honey bees, Apis mellifera L.^1-3. The retinue response includes the licking and antennating behaviour which signals the presence of a dominant reproductive queen and thereby establishes and stabilizes the social fabric of the colony. Despite 25 years of research, none of the known constituents of HQMC extract^4,5 has been effective in eliciting full retinue behaviour. We report that the mandibular-gland-based retinue response is mediated by five semiochemicals. Each component is weakly active alone, but the complete blend imparts activity equivalent to HQMC extract at a level as low as 10^-7 of that present in a queen.