Table 1. Chemical and biological information on the odourants used to investigate the effect of olfactory cues on honeybee aggression.
| Odourant | Abbreviation | Composition | Background information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | None | NA | Control: no odour. | Controls |
| Triethyl citrate | TEC | pure | Control: solvent. Odourless. | |
| 2-Phenylethanol | PhE | 0.075% 2-PhE in TEC | Common floral compound | |
| Lavender | Lav | 0.04% LiA+0.035% Lol in TEC | Lavender odour simplified to its two main components | |
| Linalool | Lol | 0.075% Lol in TEC | Common floral compound (inc. lavender) | Floral odours |
| Linalyl acetate | LiA | 0.075% LiA in TEC | Common floral compound (inc. lavender) | |
| R-(+)-Limonene | Lim | 0.075% Lim in TEC | Common floral compound | |
| Praescent | Pr | 0.03% Cis-3-hexanol+0.03% trans-2-hexenal+0.015% α-pinene in TEC | Green odour. Decreases the noxious effects of chronic stress on mice and humans25,26,56 | Plant odours |
| β-Caryophyllene | β-c | 0.075% β-c in TEC | Found in many essentials oils (e.g., clove, rosemary) | |
| Citral | Ci | 0.075% Ci in TEC | Main component of the Nasanov pheromone, attractant | |
| Iso-amyl acetate | IAA | 10% IAA in TEC | Main component of the SAP | Pheromones |
| Sting alarm pheromone | SAP | 30 Stings crushed in 500 μl TEC | Complete alarm pheromone extracted from the sting | |
NA, not applicable.