Investigation of the effect of floral scents on transcriptome profiles of antennal chemoreceptors of Bombus terrestris L.

Insects use the chemical information around them to survive by performing actions such as nest site determination, mate selection, foraging, prey detection and hiding from predators. In other words, insects must be able to distinguish between different type of scents in their environment and differ in odor-oriented behavior. The foraging activity carried out by bees enables the pollination of flowering plants in agricultural and natural vegetation. In this study, gene expression differences observed in the antennae of commercially reared Bombus terrestris (L.) species which is frequently used as pollinator bee in agricultural production in greenhouses when conditioned to eugenol, were compared by using RT-qPCR method. Thus, the differences caused by a specific odor and the effect of odor-related learning behavior were discussed at the gene level. In addition, the genes that should be focused on in order to direct the bees to the desired plant groups in greenhouse and agriculture as well as suggestions for the more effective use of bees in greenhouses were presented.