Workers of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris are more similar to males than to queens in their cuticular compounds

Abstract

The cuticular compounds from the wings of workers, males and queens of the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris Latreille 1811 were analysed by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This has shown that males, queens and workers have different patterns, but that the pattern of workers is much closer to that of males than it is to queens, supporting other evidence from morphology and behavior that Meliponinae workers are more similar to males than to queens.