Identification of Aricanized and European Honey Bees, Using Extracted Hydrocarbons

Abstract

Hydrocarbons extracted from whole bodies of Aricanized and European honey bees collected in Venezuela, and from European honey bees collected in the United States, were analyzed by gas chromatography. Results showed significant differences between Aricanized and European bees with respect to the relative importance of nine peaks. Particularly striking was a homologous series of 35-, 37-, 39-,41-,and 43-carbon alkenes and another of alkadienes that totalled 22.4% of the hydrocarbons extracted from Africanized samples, but totalled only 2.8% of hydrocarbons extracted from European bees collected in Venezuela and 3.1 and 1.1% of hydrocarbons extracted from European bees from Florida. Several ratios between peak intensities were calculated that allowed identification of dried samples without the necessity of measuring every peak. Hydrocarbons from fresh and old museum specimens of African bees were compared to show that long-term storage did not affect identification. The use of extracted hydrocarbons to distinguish between Africanized and European honey bees appears to have great promise.