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Nature

Title:		Insect signalling: components of giant hornet alarm pheromone
Author(s):		Ono M; Terabe H; Hori H; Sasaki M;
Address:		"Centre of Excellence Integrative Human Science Program, Research Institute and Graduate School of Agriculture, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan. ono@agr.tamagawa.ac.jp"
Journal Title:		Nature
Year:		2003
Volume:		424
Issue:		6949
Page Number:		637 - 638
DOI:		10.1038/424637a
ISSN/ISBN:		1476-4687 (Electronic) 0028-0836 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Up to 74 people die each year in Japan after being stung by Hymenopteran insects, with hornets (Vespa spp.) being among the worst offenders. Here we identify a volatile, multi-component alarm pheromone in the venom of the world's largest hornet, V. mandarinia, and use field bioassays to show that 2-pentanol is its principal active component, and that 3-methyl-1-butanol and 1-methylbutyl 3-methylbutanoate act synergistically with it. The compound 1-methylbutyl 3-methylbutanoate, which may also be a foraging-site-marking pheromone, elicits a strong defensive reaction in the sympatric prey hornet V. simillima xanthoptera. As these chemicals are sometimes used in food flavourings and as fragrances in cosmetics, it is possible that they might provoke a seemingly unwarranted hornet attack on humans"
Keywords:		*Animal Communication Animals Biological Assay Bites and Stings/chemically induced/etiology Butanols/chemistry/pharmacology Butyrates/chemistry/pharmacology Cosmetics/chemistry Drug Synergism Flavoring Agents/chemistry/pharmacology Humans Pentanols/chemis;
Notes:		"MedlineOno, Masato Terabe, Hirokazu Hori, Hiroshi Sasaki, Masami eng England 2003/08/09 Nature. 2003 Aug 7; 424(6949):637-8. doi: 10.1038/424637a"