Trail pheromone

In 1962, Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson published one of the first concrete studies constructing the groundwork for the notion of trail pheromones.

[2] Claiming an odor trail is deposited by the sting apparatus of the hymenopteran Solenopsis saevissima which results in a pathway from the colony to a food source, this study encouraged further investigation of how this chemical is laid, how it affects communication between species within and outside of its own, the evolution of the semiochemical, etc.

[3] When secreted, the pheromone is dropped in a blotch-like fashion from the foraging organism onto the surface leading to the food source.

Once the food source runs out the organisms will simply skip the task of renewing the trail on the way back, thus resulting in the diffusion and weakening of the pheromone.

[1] Often the foraging individual may synthesize the trail pheromone as a mixture of chemicals produced by different glands which allows such specificity.

[12] Oftentimes, when finding a source, bees will mark that exact location as well as secreting pheromones along the flight back to their hives.

[14] However, in some cases of aggressive bees, like Trigona corvina, encounters between individuals from different colonies at a food source will result in fights and ultimately death amongst both parties.

As aforementioned, these successive termites can add to the trail, depending if it is used for foraging or recruiting workers to complete tasks.