Honeybees live in social groups consisting of a queen, up to several hundred male drones, and thousands of infertile female workers. The drones mate with the queen only, and the workers protect the hive, forage, and feed and groom the queen. The health of the hive depends on the female workers performing these duties instead of reproducing.
What roles do pheromones play in maintaining a functional beehive?
In the experiment described in Question 14, the researchers dissolved the queen pheromone in diethyl ether, a chemical that helps volatilize the pheromone, making it easier for the workers to detect it in the air. The control treatment consisted of plain diethyl ether. Why did they use this as the control instead of simply not exposing the workers to any chemical?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the role of pheromones: Pheromones are chemical signals released by an organism that affect the behavior or physiology of other members of the same species. In honeybees, the queen releases pheromones that help maintain social order within the hive.
2. Identify the function of queen pheromones: The queen's pheromones inhibit the reproductive capabilities of the female worker bees, ensuring they focus on tasks like foraging, feeding, and grooming the queen, which are essential for the hive's health.
3. Recognize the purpose of the experiment: The researchers aimed to study the effect of queen pheromones on worker bees by dissolving the pheromone in diethyl ether, which helps disperse the pheromone in the air, making it detectable by the workers.
4. Understand the role of the control treatment: A control treatment is used to establish a baseline for comparison. In this experiment, plain diethyl ether was used as the control to ensure that any observed effects were due to the queen pheromone itself, rather than the presence of diethyl ether.
5. Explain why not using any chemical is not a suitable control: If no chemical were used as a control, it would be difficult to determine whether the effects observed were due to the pheromone or simply the presence of a volatile substance. Using diethyl ether alone allows researchers to isolate the effect of the pheromone from the effect of the solvent.

Key Concepts

Pheromones

Pheromones are chemical signals secreted by animals, including honeybees, to communicate with others of the same species. In a beehive, the queen releases pheromones to regulate the behavior of the workers, ensuring they perform tasks like foraging and hive maintenance rather than reproducing. These chemical cues are crucial for maintaining social order and the overall health of the hive.

Control Treatment in Experiments

A control treatment in an experiment is used to establish a baseline for comparison with the experimental group. In the context of the honeybee experiment, diethyl ether was used as the control to ensure that any observed effects were due to the queen pheromone itself, rather than the volatilizing agent. This helps isolate the specific impact of the pheromone on worker behavior, providing clearer insights into its role in hive dynamics.

Volatilization

Volatilization refers to the process of converting a substance into vapor, making it detectable in the air. In the honeybee experiment, diethyl ether was used to volatilize the queen pheromone, enhancing its dispersal and detection by the workers. This process is essential for studying how pheromones influence bee behavior, as it mimics the natural conditions under which bees perceive these chemical signals.