L’existence de conflits est une caractéristique inhérente aux sociétés animales dont la structure génétique est non clonale. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était d’étudier les décisions reproductives individuelles des ouvrières en lien avec la dynamique coopération/conflit dans les sociétés annuelles du bourdon Bombus terrestris. Les colonies de B. terrestris présentent la particularité de se développer selon deux phases distinctes : une phase sociale caractérisée par une coopération altruiste des ouvrières et une phase de compétition durant laquelle les ouvrières entrent en conflit entre elles et avec la reine pour la production des mâles. L’analyse détaillée du comportement de dérive en conditions semi-naturelles a permis de démontrer l’existence d’une stratégie de reproduction supplémentaire pour les ouvrières ; quand le conflit s’exprime, certaines ouvrières fertiles quittent leur nid pour se reproduire dans les colonies voisines de la même espèce. Cette stratégie alternative de reproduction permet aux ouvrières d’éviter l’inhibition reproductive au sein de leur nid et d’optimiser ainsi leur inclusive fitness. Nos études ont de plus révélé que les ouvrières ajustent de façon adaptée leur comportement reproducteur à l’environnement social. La grande plasticité reproductive des ouvrières repose sur leur capacité à détecter et à traiter de multiples informations pertinentes de leur environnement social. Enfin, les résultats de cette thèse suggèrent l’existence d’une stratégie de défense coloniale contre le parasitisme reproductif des ouvrières. De part leur signature chimique spécifique, les parasites potentiels sont reconnus et discriminés comportementalement à l‘entrée du nid par les gardes. Cette pluralité de stratégie de reproduction à la disposition des ouvrières est marginale au sein des hyménoptères sociaux, et les résultats obtenus de ce travail nous conduisent à discuter les traits d’histoire de vie de B. terrestris qui ont pu favoriser leur évolution. / Conflicts are inherent characteristics of non-clonal animal societies. The main goal of this thesis was to study the individual reproductive decisions of workers in relation with the cooperation/conflict dynamics in the annual bumblebee Bombus terretris. Colonies of B. terretris have the particularity to go through two distinct phases : a social phase characterized by an altruistic cooperation from workers and a competition phase during which the queen and workers compete for the production of males. The study of worker's behaviour in semi-natural conditions allowed to demonstrate the existence of an additional reproductive strategy for workers ; when the conflict is expressed, some fertile workers leave their nest to reproduce in neighbouring colonies of the same species. This alternative reproductive strategy allows workers to avoid reproductive inhibition in their nest and thus to optimize their inclusive fitness. Workers also adjust their reproductive behaviour to their social environment, in line with their reproductive interests. This high reproductive plasticity of workers relies on their ability to detect and process the multiple relevant signals of their social environment. Finally, the results of this thesis suggest the existence of a colonial defence strategy against worker reproductive parasitism. By their specific chemical signature, potential parasites are recognized and behaviourlly discriminated by guards at the nest-entrance. The multiple reproductive strategies of bumble bee workers appear marginal in social Hymenoptera, and the life history traits of B. terretris which could have promoted this diversification are discussed.

Tesis entregada a la Universidad de Chile en cumplimiento parcial de los requisitos para optar al grado de Magíster en Ciencias Biológicas. / La medida en que los caracteres florales evolucionan bajo selección mediada por polinizadores ha sido ampliamente estudiada en la literatura. Sin embargo, la relación entre selección y efectividad de los polinizadores es un tema poco estudiado. El presente trabajo busca identificar y cuantificar las fuerzas selectivas ejercidas por abejas y colibríes sobre Erythranthe lutea, una planta herbácea altoandina de Chile central. Una de las principales preguntas en este estudio es evaluar si la selección mediada por polinizador sigue el principio del polinizador más eficiente de Stebbins. Para hacerlo, examinamos la selección putativa sobre tres rasgos florales de E. lutea durante dos años consecutivos a través de la función sexual femenina. Para examinar posibles efectos aditivos y no aditivos de los polinizadores, implementamos cuatro tratamientos en un diseño factorial de 2 x 2 usando Picaflores (P) y Abejas (A) como factores principales. De esta forma, probamos la selección mediada por polinizadores en los siguientes tratamientos: P+A+, P+A-, P-A+, P-A-. Nuestros resultados indican que el polinizador más eficiente fue el abejorro exótico Bombus terrestris, una de las especies responsables de la mayor fuerza selectiva impuesta por abejas. En particular, las abejas promueven la reproducción de flores con corolas más grandes en el período 2016. Sin embargo, durante el período 2017 se detectaron efectos no aditivos, lo que indica que el efecto de las abejas estaba supeditado a la presencia de picaflores y viceversa, lo que impide la evaluación de los efectos independientes. Si bien E. lutea parece estar evolucionando según el principio de Stebbins, es necesario demostrar que el fitness ganado después de la especialización de los rasgos florales excede al costo en fitness asociado a la pérdida de otros polinizadores menos eficientes. La observación de que B. terrestris fue el polinizador más eficiente en el ensamble de polinizadores sugiere que los polinizadores introducidos pueden impulsar nuevos y rápidos procesos de adaptación floral. En consecuencia, comprender el impacto evolutivo de los polinizadores exóticos puede ayudar al diseño de políticas de conservación frente al intercambio biótico y a la homogeneización a gran escala. / The extent to which floral characters evolve under pollinator-mediated selection has been extensively studied in the literature. However, the relationship between selection and pollinator effectiveness is a less understood subject. The present study aims to identify and quantify the selective force imposed by bees and hummingbirds upon Erythranthe lutea, a high Andean herbaceous plant from central Chile. A major question in this study is to evaluate whether pollinatormediated selection follows the Stebbins` principle of the most efficient pollinator. In doing so, we examined putative selection upon three flower traits of E. lutea during two consecutive years through the female sex function. To examine potential additive or nonadditive pollinator effects, we set four treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial design using hummingbirds (H) and bees (B) as main factors. In this way, we tested for pollinator mediated selection in the following treatments: H+B+, H+B-, H-B+, H-B-. Our results indicate that the most efficient pollinator was the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris, one of the responsible species of the higher selective force imposed by bees. In particular, bees promoted the reproduction of flowers with large-sized corollas in the 2016 period. However, during the 2017 nonadditive effects were detected, indicating that the effect of bees were contingent to the presence of bees and viceversa, which prevented the assessment of independent effects. While E. lutea seems to be evolving under Stebbins’ principle, it is necessary to demonstrate that the gained fitness after floral traits specialization exceeds the fitness cost associated to the loss of other less efficient pollinators. The observation that B. terrestris was the most efficient pollinator in the pollinator assemblage suggests that introduced pollinators can drive new and rapid floral adaptation processes. In consequence, understanding the evolutionary impact of exotic pollinators can help to the design of conservation policies in the face of biotic exchange and broad scale homogenization. / Proyecto FONDECYT 1150112.

Bees and wasps perform learning flights when departing their nest for the first few times or a newly discovered food source. Several studies have described the occurances and structure of these flights in several species, but few have examined how the insects systematically vary the characteristics of their learning flights in various conditions in order to aid the acquisition of visual information. This is best done in a species where individuals and nests can be easily manipulated and tested repeatedly. The aim of this thesis was therefore to investigate learning flights in bumblebees, where we have a good understanding of the structure and variability of flights from previous work and can design controlled experiments. I explored the similarities and differences of learning flights of workers and male bumblebees, observing their departures from the nest or an artificial flower. A second objective was to examine how differences in the learning flights affect the bumblebees’ ability to return the learnt location. The experiments were conducted inside a large greenhouse, under natural light regimes, with two large tables placed far apart, one for simulating the ground from which bees emerged when departing their nest, and the other representing a feeding site with an artificial flower. Female bumblebees performed shorter learning flights when leaving a flower than when leaving their nest, although both locations displayed similar visual scenes. At both locations, the duration and trajectory length of learning flights decreased over successive visits, but the decrease was faster at the flower location than at the nest. Bumblebees fixated both their nest and the flower during their learning flights as well as the landmarks available around the two locations, which suggests that they learned the position of the goal relative to these landmarks. When the nest and the flower were hidden and only three cylinders were shown as landmarks in tests, bees searched as accurately for the nest as for the flower. However, they were more persistent when searching for the nest than for the flower, which was not predicted from the variation of learning flights at the nest and flower locations. Another situation in which bumblebees varied the characteristics of their learning flights, but without an impact on their performance when recalling the learnt information, was after visiting flowers filled with low and high sucrose rewards. The bees performed longer learning flights after drinking at a highly rewarded flower. When departing a poorly rewarded flower, bumblebees did not fixate the flower during their learning flights. Nevertheless, the bees were able to return to both the poorly rewarded flower and the highly rewarded flower equally fast. Given the above findings, it is not evident how different durations or trajectory lengths of bumblebee learning flights might be linked to variations in learning of goal locations. Finally, I show that bumblebees of either sex decide to perform learning flights at locations that are of importance to them. Whilst the female workers always performed learning flights when departing their natal nest, the males did not and simply flew away in a straight line. However, when leaving a flower, the males did perform learning flights with characteristics similar to those of the females’ learning flights. They were also able to return to the flower, showing similar approach trajectories as workers. The thesis discusses these findings in the light of ideas and hypotheses that are linked to differential investment in learning which were observed in the various conditions here. It is also discussed why bumblebees used fixations in different ways when learning about the visual environment surrounding goals that are important to them. Whilst many results are parsimonious with the requirements for learning and active flight control to aid the acquisition of visual information, motivation also seems to play a role in varying the occurances and features of learning flights, such as seen in the bees’ greater persistence to search for their nest than for a flower.

Genomic imprinting, the parent-of-origin specific silencing of alleles, plays an important role in phenotypic plasticity and consequently evolution. The leading explanation for genomic imprinting is Haig's conflict theory, which suggests that alleles from each parent have evolved under different selectional pressures, resulting in the differential expression of patrigenes and matrigenes. Previous studies have mainly used mammals and flowering plants to test Haig’s theory. However, there is a lack of independent evidence to support the theory. My PhD thesis attempts to conduct an independent test of Haig’s conflict theory using buff tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris. A methylation system to facilitate genomic imprinting has not been found in this species. Therefore the first aim of the study was to establish the presence of a functional methylation system in B. terrestris before testing Haig's conflict theory using worker reproduction in queen-less colonies. The initial finding is that a methylation system exists in B. terrestris. The next study, investigating the presence of methylated genes, revealed differential methylation patterns in caste and life stages. Finally, genes involved with worker reproduction in a range of social insects were identified, but distinguishing the matrigene and the patrigene for each gene was unsuccessful. Therefore the final study investigating the presence of imprinted genes in B. terrestris and whether they conform to the expression patterns hypothesised by Haig’s conflict theory could not be analysed. Although this study did not provide conclusive evidence to support Haig’s conflict theory, the presence of methylation in genes involved with worker reproduction in reproducing and non-reproducing B. terrestris workers suggests that further analysis is needed. With adequate evidence, proving Haig’s conflict theory will not only expand our knowledge of invertebrate methylation, but also our understanding of conflict within social insect societies and our knowledge of how genomic imprinting affects phenotypic plasticity.

MORPHOMETRIC AND GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN ANATOLIA AND CYPRUS BOMBUS (BOMBUS) TERRESTRIS (L. 1758) POPULATIONS BETON, Damla M. Sc., Department of Biology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Aykut Kence September 2004, 86 pages Four microsatellite loci were used to investigate differentiation in Bombus terrestris, a bumblebee of interest for its high value crops pollination. Two bumblebee populations, one from Ankara (the capital of Turkey) and one from North Cyprus were analyzed. In these populations, the total number of alleles detected per polymorphic locus ranged from 7 to 12. FST genetic distance between Ankara and North Cyprus B. terrestris populations based on four microsatellite loci was calculated as 0,09351. This applies that there is significant (P&lt / 0,001) differentiation between Anatolian and Cypriot populations. Moreover, statistically significant differences between two populations were found in wing characters studied. According to the potential for local adaptation and individual fitness of bumblebees, microsatellite data calls for protection of Bombus terrestris populations against importation of bumblebees of foreign origin which are used as crop pollinator.

I dagsläget importeras omkring 4600 humlebon årligen från Europa till Sverige för att öka produktionen av grönsaker och då framförallt tomater. Sverige har i dagsläget ingen egen produktion av humlor men bolaget Svenska Humlor AB ämnar att starta en försäljning under 2021. Att humlorna är svenskuppfödda och närda på svensk pollen är en ny produkt på marknaden som kan medföra nya intressen och intressekonflikter från olika aktörsperspektiv. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en ögonblicksbild av åsikter som finns kring att starta en inhemsk försäljning av humlor av arten Bombus terrestris. Vidare är ett mål är att utreda hur en framtida svensk humleproduktion kan utformas och hur det kan relatera till hållbar utveckling. Studien kopplar till FN:s Agenda 2030 och målet att bevara biodiversitet och ekosystem. Humlor påverkas av klimatförändringar och flyttar därför till nya områden. Vidare hotas vissa humlearter av antropogen påverkan av landskapen. Humlornas pollinering möjliggör större skördar, som i sin tur bidrar till en ökad matproduktion som också är en målsättning i Agenda 2030. Humlesamhällen föds därför upp och placeras i jordbrukarnas odlingar.  Studien berör både för- och nackdelar med en potentiell svensk produktion av humlor. Intervjuer genomfördes med fyra för ämnet viktiga aktörer; humleuppfödare, jordbrukare, myndighet och akademi. De har ombetts diskutera de största styrkorna, svagheterna, möjligheterna och hoten med att införa svenska humlor som en ny produkt. Dessa åsikter presenteras i SWOT-diagram. SWOT är en metod för att analysera en organisation eller verksamhet där argument delas in efter styrkor (S), svagheter (W) möjligheter (O) och hot (T). Intervjuerna och SWOT-analysen struktureras med fyra huvudteman: ekonomi, teknik, ekologi och övrigt. En litteraturstudie utfördes för att få fördjupade kunskaper i ämnet inför intervjuerna. Litteraturen användes också för att styrka vissa fakta som påståtts av intervjupersonerna. I studien analyseras och diskuteras de huvudämnen som lyftes av de olika aktörerna, för att skapa en bild av vad en framtida svensk humleproduktion kan innebära.  Det framkommer bland annat att det kan vara fördelaktigt att producera svenska humlor jämfört med att importera, då det minskar risken att föra in sjukdomar som kan drabba de vilda pollinerarna. De importerade humlorna från Europa är av en annan underart än de svenska vilda humlorna, varför svenskuppfödda humlor även har mindre påverkan på den vilda genetiken. Vidare lyfts att även fler insekter kan vara relevanta för kommersiell pollinering. Andra diskussionspunkter är bland annat hur ny lagstiftning kan påverka svensk humleuppfödning, möjligheter till lönsamhet, svensk självförsörjningsgrad, inavel i uppfödningen, jämförelser med norsk humleuppfödning, återanvändning av material samt samhällsopinion kring att ha humlor som ett produktionsdjur. Studien avser att samla åsikter kring temat i en uppstartsfas av svensk humleuppfödning, för att kunna användas som diskussionsunderlag och ligga till grund för framtida studier. / Sweden imports around 4600 bumblebee colonies per year from Europe to increase the production of vegetables, primarily tomatoes. Sweden currently lacks a domestic bumblebee rearer, however the company Svenska Humlor AB plans to start selling colonies by 2021. Swedish bumblebees reared on swedish pollen is a new type of product that opens a whole new market. This can cause new undocumented interests and conflicts from different actor’s perspectives. The objective of this study is to portray a current view of opinions regarding a domestic market for bumblebees of the species Bombus terrestris. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate the future of Swedish bumblebee rearing and how it relates to sustainable development. The study integrates the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals since it includes conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. Bumblebees are affected by climate change and therefore migrate to new areas. In addition, anthropogenic influence of the landscapes affects their functions. A great advantage is that bumblebee pollination contributes to food production which is included in the Agenda 2030, since bumblebee pollination increases the harvest. Hence, bumblebee colonies are bred and placed in the plantations.  The study covers advantages and disadvantages regarding a potential start-up of swedish reared bumblebees. To achieve this, interviews were conducted with four different actors; a bumblebee rearer, a farmer, authority and academy. They were asked to discuss the greatest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding a Swedish domestic bumblebee rearing. These opinions are presented in SWOT-diagrams, which is a method used to analyse an organisation or business model where strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T) are identified and discussed. The interviews and SWOT-analysis are structured around four main themes; economy, technology, ecology and other. Additional literature was also used to strengthen facts that were brought up by the interviewees. The study aims to discuss the main themes raised by the different actors in relation to literature to create a picture of a future Swedish production.  During the interviews it was discussed that Swedish bumblebees might be beneficial in comparison to imported bumblebees as they lower the risk of spreading pathogens to wild pollinators. The imported bumblebees from Europe are of a different sub-species than the indigenous bumblebees. Due to this the Swedish bred bumblebees affect the native genetics less than their imported counterparts. It was also noted that other insects could be used as pollinators in the future. Other points of discussion related to a future Swedish bumblebee rearing were: new regulations, profitability, Swedish self-sufficiency, reusable materials for nests, inbreeding and opinions regarding the usage of bumblebees in production. The study provides opinions regarding these topics which are meant to be used for discussion as well as in future work.

A abelha Bombus terrestris é um eficiente polinizador, prestando importantes serviços ecossistêmicos na Europa e adjacências, onde é nativa. Suas colônias têm sido criadas em larga escala para polinização agrícola, as quais são comercializadas internacionalmente, inclusive em países fora de sua área de ocorrência nativa. Deliberada ou acidentalmente a espécie tem sido introduzida em ambientes alóctones, em muitos casos tornando-se invasora. Quando invasora, a espécie é um potencial vetor de doenças e um competidor com outras abelhas; vários impactos têm sido relatados em áreas invadidas ao redor do mundo. Na América do Sul, a espécie foi inicialmente introduzida em ambientes naturais no Chile, mas rapidamente a invasão se espalhou; atualmente é encontrada ocupando ambientes naturais na Argentina. A elevada capacidade invasiva da espécie e a alta velocidade de sua expansão, conforme tem sido relatada por pesquisadores, levantou a possibilidade de a espécie alcançar o Brasil por meio de corredores ambientais favoráveis que se conectam com áreas já invadidas, gerando preocupações sobre potenciais impactos aos sistemas naturais e agrícolas. Esta pesquisa empregou uma abordagem interdisciplinar, integrando uma variedade de métodos analíticos oriundos de diferentes áreas da ecologia e os mais avançados recursos de sistemas de informações geográficas para detectar globalmente as áreas susceptíveis à invasão por Bombus terrestris, considerando-se também as mudanças climáticas. Para o sul da América do Sul foram identificados os corredores de invasão que poderão permitir a espécie se espalhar e alcançar Brasil a partir de locais invadidos. Para o Brasil, foram identificados os municípios mais vulneráveis à entrada da espécie, e também aqueles que estão na rota de expansão da invasão Brasil adentro. Para os municípios brasileiros, por sua vez, foram verificadas as culturas agrícolas e as espécies de Bombus nativas que a invasora poderá interagir ao longo da rota de invasão potencial; com estas informações foram apontadas áreas prioritárias, subsidiando o planejamento de monitoramento e ações de controle do processo de invasão, mas também medidas preventivas e mitigadoras de impactos ambientais e econômicos após a invasão, caso venha a ocorrer. / The bee Bombus terrestris is an efficient pollinator, providing important ecosystem services in Europe and surrounding areas, where it is a native species. Their colonies have been reared in large-scale for agricultural pollination, which are internationally traded, including for countries outside its native range. The species has been deliberately or accidentally introduced into non-native environments, becoming invasive in many cases. When invasive, the species is a potential vector of diseases and competes with other bees for resources; many impacts have been reported in invaded countries around the world. In South America, the species was introduced in natural environments of Chile at first, but the invasion was quickly spread; nowadays it is found living in natural environments of Argentina. The high invasiveness of the species and the high speed of its invasive expansion, as has been reported by researchers, raised the possibility of the species reach Brazil through suitable environmental corridors that are connected with areas already invaded, raising the concerns about potential impacts to natural and agricultural systems. An interdisciplinary approach was used in this research, composing a variety of analytical methods from different areas of ecology and applying the most advanced resources of geographic information systems to detect areas susceptible to invasion by Bombus terrestris at global scale, considering also climate change. For the southern South America, the corridors of invasion that could allow the spreading of the species and that potentially reach Brazil were identified. For Brazil, the most susceptible municipalities at the entrance of the species have been identified, and also those that are on the route of expansion inside the country. For Brazilian municipalities, crops and native species of Bombus that the invasive species can interact with along the potential invasion route were verified; with this information, priority areas were identified, supporting the planning of monitoring and control actions of the invasion process, but also preventive and mitigating measures of environmental and economic impacts after the invasion, if it eventually occurs.

A abelha Bombus terrestris é um eficiente polinizador, prestando importantes serviços ecossistêmicos na Europa e adjacências, onde é nativa. Suas colônias têm sido criadas em larga escala para polinização agrícola, as quais são comercializadas internacionalmente, inclusive em países fora de sua área de ocorrência nativa. Deliberada ou acidentalmente a espécie tem sido introduzida em ambientes alóctones, em muitos casos tornando-se invasora. Quando invasora, a espécie é um potencial vetor de doenças e um competidor com outras abelhas; vários impactos têm sido relatados em áreas invadidas ao redor do mundo. Na América do Sul, a espécie foi inicialmente introduzida em ambientes naturais no Chile, mas rapidamente a invasão se espalhou; atualmente é encontrada ocupando ambientes naturais na Argentina. A elevada capacidade invasiva da espécie e a alta velocidade de sua expansão, conforme tem sido relatada por pesquisadores, levantou a possibilidade de a espécie alcançar o Brasil por meio de corredores ambientais favoráveis que se conectam com áreas já invadidas, gerando preocupações sobre potenciais impactos aos sistemas naturais e agrícolas. Esta pesquisa empregou uma abordagem interdisciplinar, integrando uma variedade de métodos analíticos oriundos de diferentes áreas da ecologia e os mais avançados recursos de sistemas de informações geográficas para detectar globalmente as áreas susceptíveis à invasão por Bombus terrestris, considerando-se também as mudanças climáticas. Para o sul da América do Sul foram identificados os corredores de invasão que poderão permitir a espécie se espalhar e alcançar Brasil a partir de locais invadidos. Para o Brasil, foram identificados os municípios mais vulneráveis à entrada da espécie, e também aqueles que estão na rota de expansão da invasão Brasil adentro. Para os municípios brasileiros, por sua vez, foram verificadas as culturas agrícolas e as espécies de Bombus nativas que a invasora poderá interagir ao longo da rota de invasão potencial; com estas informações foram apontadas áreas prioritárias, subsidiando o planejamento de monitoramento e ações de controle do processo de invasão, mas também medidas preventivas e mitigadoras de impactos ambientais e econômicos após a invasão, caso venha a ocorrer. / The bee Bombus terrestris is an efficient pollinator, providing important ecosystem services in Europe and surrounding areas, where it is a native species. Their colonies have been reared in large-scale for agricultural pollination, which are internationally traded, including for countries outside its native range. The species has been deliberately or accidentally introduced into non-native environments, becoming invasive in many cases. When invasive, the species is a potential vector of diseases and competes with other bees for resources; many impacts have been reported in invaded countries around the world. In South America, the species was introduced in natural environments of Chile at first, but the invasion was quickly spread; nowadays it is found living in natural environments of Argentina. The high invasiveness of the species and the high speed of its invasive expansion, as has been reported by researchers, raised the possibility of the species reach Brazil through suitable environmental corridors that are connected with areas already invaded, raising the concerns about potential impacts to natural and agricultural systems. An interdisciplinary approach was used in this research, composing a variety of analytical methods from different areas of ecology and applying the most advanced resources of geographic information systems to detect areas susceptible to invasion by Bombus terrestris at global scale, considering also climate change. For the southern South America, the corridors of invasion that could allow the spreading of the species and that potentially reach Brazil were identified. For Brazil, the most susceptible municipalities at the entrance of the species have been identified, and also those that are on the route of expansion inside the country. For Brazilian municipalities, crops and native species of Bombus that the invasive species can interact with along the potential invasion route were verified; with this information, priority areas were identified, supporting the planning of monitoring and control actions of the invasion process, but also preventive and mitigating measures of environmental and economic impacts after the invasion, if it eventually occurs.

No description available.

Chemical substances are transferred between bumblebees of the species Bombus terrestris during their mating behavior. These substances are present mainly on the cuticle. The aim of this thesis was to identify and quantitatify differences in the amount of the compounds among defined groups of bumblebees - mated, non-mated and attempting to mate. Cuticular extracts were obtained by washing of the whole bumblebees bodies in hexane. These extracts were analyzed by using a two-dimensional gas chromatography with the time of fly mass spectrometr (GCxGC-TOF/MS). Cuticular hydrocarbons were identified and semi-quantified. Double bounds locations were determined in heptacosene and nonacosene. Five compounds were differed in the examined groups - β-springene, α-springene, dihydrofarnesyl-oleate, palmityl-palmitate and palmityl- palmitoleate. By comparing of the amount of these compounds differences between defined groups of bumblebees were determined. Analysis of the cutilar extracts showed that mated and non-mated bumblebees can be distinguished. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in the amounts of identified compounds in all defined groups of bumblebees. Key words: two-dimensional gas chromatography, Bombus terrestris, cutilar extract