Is banana good for hives

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

It is said that bananas and bees are not a good combination and one should not be standing near a beehive when eating a banana. Why is it that this piece of fruit is believed to trigger such a response?

Should you eat a banana next to a bee hive?

To answer this question, we will have to take a closer look how bees send and interpret signals of their peers. To keep the bee colony functioning smoothly, honey bees communicate extensively with each other. They share the location of promising food sources, raise alarm when the hive is threatened, indicate the condition of the queen and many more. Effective communication is what makes honeybees such strong and efficient animals. But how do they do this exactly?

Pheromones

Bees communicate by releasing so-called pheromones. Pheromones are chemical substances that are released by an animal in order to influence the behavior of its peers [1]. The use of pheromones is widespread in the animal kingdom and even humans might use them. Take for example deodorant advertisements, which typically show that hundreds of people find you suddenly attractive after you used one of their products. Although it is clear these advertisements do not represent real life (scientist are debating the existence of human pheromones [2]), they do so in the world of bees. The sense of a particular pheromone can evoke an instant response. For example, when a honey bee stings the alarm pheromone is released which immediately causes other bees to act aggressive as well.

Honey bee pheromones

Honeybees possess one of the most sophisticated pheromone communication systems in the animal kingdom. Pheromones can have multiple and far-reaching influences on bees. They do not only affect bees behavior, but some can even change their physique. These pheromones are called primer pheromones and have strong and long-term effects. Releaser pheromones on the other hand have only a short-term effect and only influence behavior [1]. Most releaser pheromones are released by worker bees or drones, while the queen secretes most of the primer pheromones.

Queen bee pheromones

The queen uses a wide array of pheromones to regulate the colony. Without this, the colony would quickly disintegrate and fall into chaos. Each queen bee secretes her own unique sense. When a new queen has to be introduced to a colony (for example when a beekeeper wants to replace an old queen), she has to be kept in a separate cage within the hive for a few days, to give the bees the opportunity to familiarize themselves with her smell.

Primer pheromones are mainly released by the queen bee.

The queen signal

The most important pheromone is the so-called queen mandibular pheromone. This is actually a set of multiple pheromones which regulate life in the colony. Firstly, it secures the position of the queen in the colony by preventing other female bees to develop into queens. Various primer pheromones inhibit the ovary development of female worker bees. Furthermore, she discourages the rearing of new queens. The sense of the queen also attracts male drone bees for mating. Secondly, These senses also serve regulate life of the other bees. It stimulates worker bees to do their tasks like caring for brood, building, foraging, guarding etc. When a queen grows older, the intensity of the queen signal drops, this causes workers bees to rear new queens.

Queen retinue pheromone

Another set of pheromones is the queen retinue pheromone, this pheromone attract bees to serve as retinue for the queen. This retinue of worker bee will care for her well-being and feed and groom her.

Worker and drone bee pheromones

The alarm pheromone: This pheromone is released when a bee stings and will attract other bees to this location and act defensively. Because of this pheromone, beekeepers use smoke when they are working with bees. The smoke will mask the sense of the alarm pheromone.
Orientation, Nasonov Gland: Named after scientist Nasonov, this sense is used to give direction. Bees at the entrance of the hive might secrete it, in order to direct other members of the colony back to the hive. However bees might use it in various circumstances when they try to attract bees to a certain location. To release this pheromone, bees put their abdomen in the air and use their flap their wings to spread the sense [3].
Brood recognition: This is emitted by larvae and helps worker bees distinguish between worker bee and drone larvae.
Drone pheromone: Drones emit this pheromone to attract other drones. They huddle together in areas suitable for mating with the queen bee.
Forager pheromone: The task of worker bees is determined by her age, older forager bees release this pheromone to slow down the maturing of younger nurse bees. In this way, this primer pheromone keeps the amount of nurse and forager bees in balance [4].

Bees and bananas

The bees alarm pheromone smells a bit like banana.

So how does all this talk about pheromones relates to bananas and bees? Apparently the alarm pheromone smells a bit like banana [5]. The alarm is released when a bee stings and will attract other bees to this location and act defensively. So, the smell of bananas might attract a group of angry bees. When googling bananas and bees one can find numerous claims or examples that one should not be near bees however it has to be noted that no study has backed this claim. The description of this effect really is a bit vague. However it is safe to say that there is no need to be afraid to get swarmed by aggressive bees while eating your banana outside. However, when you are near a hive, it might be wise to keep your banana unpeeled.

Literature

[1] Bortolotti, L., & Costa, C. (2014). Chemical communication in the honey bee society. In Neurobiology of chemical communication. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.

[2] Kwon, D. (2018). Do Human Pheromones Exist? The Scientist. Retrieved from: https://www.the-scientist.com/news-analysis/do-human-pheromones-exist-30381

[3] Free J.B, Ferguson A.W, Pickett J.A. (1981). Evaluation of the various components of the Nasonov pheromone used by clustering honey bees. Physiol Entomol. 6 (3) 26368.

[4] Leoncini, I., Le Conte, Y., Costagliola, G., Plettner, E., Toth, A. L., Wang, M., & Robinson, G. E. (2004). Regulation of behavioral maturation by a primer pheromone produced by adult worker honey bees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(50), 17559-17564.

[5] Slessor, K. N., Winston, M. L., & Le Conte, Y. (2005). Pheromone communication in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). Journal of chemical ecology, 31 (11), 2731-2745.

Bananas & Bees What ALL Beekeepers should know!!

I am sure many beekeepers also like bananas! I mean, the banana is a pretty commonly eaten fruit (except by my sister who shudders at the thought of one!!). If you are a beekeeper and bananas are a part of your diet, you may want to read this short article first There is a pretty important misconception that you should be aware of when it comes to bees and bananas!

What is the Misconception about Bananas and Bees?

Some people have noted that bananas contain the chemical component Isoamyl acetate (as an ester that gives bananas that lovely banana smell!). This very same component is the thing that sends bees into their fight-or-flight mode (or attack mode), as it acts as an alarm pheromone of a bee sting. Therefore, many people have assumed that it is unsafe to have bananas near bees, and that beekeepers should put down that banana (as was so aptly put by one particular mis-guided bee blogger).

Are Bees Really More Aggressive Around Bananas?

This is what I love about the world around us! It is way more complex than we give it credit for! It would seem obvious to us that if a component from a bees alarm pheromone is in food, that this food would also cause alarm to said bee!

However, as someone with extensive experience with bees and bananas (they go great on my morning cereal!!) I can tell you that I have never noticed any significant change in my bees behaviour whilst chomping down on a banana in my apiary.

Any you may think that as a rather elderly gentleman that I may be loosing my marbles, so to speak! But many other fellow beekeepers have been saying the exact same thing!

There is a Quora thread on this exact question, with several people noting the same as me. Such as Peter Kay who, like me, claims to have extensive experience around bees and has never seen a change in aggressiveness around bananas and bees In fact, they seem to ignore the bananas all together!

There is also a similar Reddit thread where a user names Scottish Beekeeper also backs up my experiences of bees and bananas. He talks about often having a banana for lunch whilst in his apiary and hasnt noticed any big difference in his bees behaviour towards him.

The thing that really makes me laugh is the fact that most of the people that are talking sense in these threads are people that are actual beekeepers with real experience of bananas around bees. The people not talking sense often seem to assume that just because an alarm pheromone is present, it must make bees aggressive! Saying things like dont drink banana milkshakes around your beehives whilst having no real evidence or experience as to whether this would actually be the case!

This is why you cant believe everything you read on the internet. This bees will sting you if you have or eat a banana thing has been totally overblown, in my opinion by people who dont know what they are talking about on the internet.

I suppose the simple thing for a beekeeper to do is not listen to anyone on the internet and test for yourself. Go eat a banana in your apiary a few times and see what happens

Why Dont Bees Get Aggressive around Bananas?

There have been a few explanations offered as to why bees dont get aggressive around bananas. The main one being the idea that bees can recognize their beekeepers and know that they are not a threat and not to sting them

Hives (Urticaria)

What are hives?

Hives, or urticaria, are flat red welts that can appear anywhere on the skin and usually itch. Hives often occur as an allergic reaction to something eaten or something that has contacted the skin. Foods, medicines, and plants are common causes, but sun exposure, stress, infections, and autoimmune diseases have also been known to cause hives.

Symptoms include an itchy, stinging pink rash of slightly swollen skin. The rash may wax and wane in severity. Acute hives typically resolve within six weeks, but chronic hives (urticaria) can persist for months or years.

Hives often resolve on their own, especially in children. Otherwise, treatment for acute hives involves oral antihistamine medications to help relieve the itching and stinging. Chronic hives that do not improve with antihistamines may be treated additionally with corticosteroids, antibiotics, and other stronger medicines. A study found that 35% of people with chronic hives, are symptom free within one year, with another 29% having some reduction of symptoms.

You can safely treat this condition on your own as long as you does not develop trouble breathing. Any antihistamine (like Zyrtec, Clarinex, etc) works.