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MIT World Peace University

School of Chemistry

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Mutualistic interactions between flowering plants and animals

Repellents for honey bees

Mutualistic Interactions between Flowering Plants and Animals:, published by {\ldots}

Attractants for Honey Bees

ABSTRACT Formulations of compounds repellent to honey bees may be useful tools to keep bees away from areas recently treated with toxic insecticides. Here, we report the activity of a previously unknown honey bee repellent, an essential oil from the flower of Swertia densifolia (Gentianaceae), which has activity toward Indian honey bees Apis florea F. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and was subjected to a rotating table bioassay with foragers of the honey bee A. florea. Repellency was dose-dependent up to 12 mg/ml and remained constant thereafter. The chemical constitution of the essential oil was examined by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry analyses, which identified 19 constituent compounds. The major constituents (>10% of the oil) were linalool and octadecanoic acid. The constituents of intermediate concentration (5-10%) were α-terpeniol, nerol, n-octadecyl acetate, and spirostan-3-ol. Besides these, five minor constituents (1-5%) and six of the eight trace components present (<1%) have also been identified. The response of A. florea foragers to mixtures of the major and intermediate constituents was studied. Screening of formulations of linalool and α-terpeniol showed repellent properties toward A. florea, behavior which has already been reported by us in earlier studies. The compound n-octadecyl acetate was found to be an attractant, while octadecanoic acid and spirostan-3-ol were neither attractants nor repellents. Nerol, however, elicited dose-dependent effects involving both attraction and repellency. The effects of the constituents of this essential oil were not merely additive, possibly due to synergistic effects. These results establish the previously unknown chemical constitution and dose-dependent repellent nature of the essential oil isolated from flower of S. densifolia toward A. florea and may be used to improve bee management. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Potential Use of an Essential Oil From the Flower of Swertia densifolia as a Repellent for Apis florea (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Leaf extract of Swertia densifolia (Griseb.) (Gentianaceae) is known to show dose dependent attractant and repellent properties towards Apis cerana indica F. and A. florea. The essential oil of these leaves has recently been shown to possess repellent properties towards A. cerana indica. As the next logical step in this programme, we now report screening results of ethanolic extract of de-oiled leaves of S. densifolia on A. cerana indica. The extract showed dose dependent attractant properties at lower concentrations and repellent properties at higher concentrations, a behaviour similar to an attractant pheromone. TLC and HPLC analyses of the extract indicated the presence of six constituents. GC-MS analysis of the ethyl acetate soluble part of the extract showed the presence of diethyl fumarate as a major constituent, methyl linolenate and ethyl linoleate as constituents of intermediate concentration and ethyl palmitate as a minor constituent. © 2010 IBRA.

Journal of Apicultural Research

‘Pheromone-like' properties of de-oiled leaf extract of Swertia densifolia towards Apis cerana indica F.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an aquatic weed common to the subtropic/tropical regions, was utilized as an inexpensive lignocellulosic substrate for production of cellulase by Trichoderma reesei. The effects of process parameters like substrate pretreatment, substrate concentration, initial medium pH, mode of inoculation, and incubation temperature on cellulase production were investigated. Under optimal conditions, a maximal cellulase activity of 0.22±0.04 IU/ml (approximately 73.3 IU/g cellulose) was recorded at the end of 15-day incubation period. Specific activity of the enzyme was 6.25 IU/mg protein. Hydrolysis of 1% substrate (water hyacinth) using crude enzyme dosage of 1.2 IU/g water hyacinth showed 28.7% saccharification in 1 h. The observations in present study indicate that saccharification of cellulose from water hyacinth was significantly higher by laboratory-produced cellulase than the commercial blend. © Humana Press 2008.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Water hyacinth as carbon source for the production of cellulase by trichoderma reesei

The alcoholic leaf extract of an Indian medicinal plant, Chirayata, Swertia densifolia (Griseb.) (Gentianaceae), is known to show dose-dependant attractant and repellent properties towards Apis cerana indica and Apis florea. We now report repellent activity of the essential oil obtained from these leaves on A. cerana indica F. Chemical examination of the essential oil was carried out by Gas Chromatography—Mass Spectrometry and hitherto unknown chemical constituents were identified as linalool, α-terpineol, stearic acid, hydroquinone and octadecanal. Structural assignments of the first four constituents were confirmed by comparison with the authentic samples. Bioassay of the formulations of linalool and α-terpineol in liquid paraffin showed that they were repellent to A. cerana. Beekeepers might be able to develop repellent formulations based on these findings. © 2008 International Bee Research Association.

Chemical examination of Swertia densifolia leaf essential oil and its repellent activity towards Apis cerana indica F. [Examen químico del aceite esencial de las hojas de Swertia densifolia y de su actividad repelente frente a Apis cerana indica F.]