Secretions of stingless bees: The Dufour glands of some Frieseomelitta species (Apidae, Meliponinae)

Abstract

The first recorded analyses of meliponine bee Dufour gland secretions by gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry on three species of Frieseomelitta showed these glands contain a mixture of oxygenated compounds and terpenoids with some hydrocarbons. In F. varia the major substances are eicosenal, 1-eicosenol and 2-pentadecanone. In F. sylvestrii they are pentacosene, nonadecanal and heptacosene. F. silvestrii languida, with the largest glands and the most complex mixture, has geranylfarnesol, followed by 1-tetradecanol and tetradecanal, making it quite different from F. silvestrii.