Source of the Ether-Soluble Organics of Stings of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)1

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Abstract
A nonglandular membrane which folds over the bulb of the sting shaft of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is coated with ether-soluble organic substances ranging in volatility from alarm pheromones to heavier oily compounds. The presence of these substances on this “stingshaft membrane” is shown by gas chromatographic techniques. In an attempt to localize the site of production of the organic substances which are concentrated on the sting shaft membrane, the known glands associated with the honey bee sting (acid gland, alkaline gland, sheath glands, and Koshewnikov glands) were dissected from the sting, extracted with ether, and the extract subjected to gas chromatography. Only a few of the less volatile fractions were found to be definitely present in any of the glands investigated. No attempt was made to identify the chemical nature of any of these ether-soluble organics; however, possible physical functions which they may serve are discussed.

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