Jane Hurst

In this fascinating discussion, Tristram Wyatt, a chemical communication expert from Oxford, Jane Hurst, a mammalian scent specialist from Liverpool, and Francis Ratnieks, a honeybee behavior authority from Sussex, explore the intricate world of pheromones. They reveal how these invisible chemical signals guide animal behavior, from honeybees’ alarm signals to rabbits' milk scents influencing neonatal learning. The evolution, diversity, and even applications in pest control of pheromones are also highlighted, showcasing their crucial role in the animal kingdom.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how members of the same species send each other invisible chemical signals to influence the way they behave. Pheromones are used by species across the animal kingdom in a variety of ways, such as laying trails to be followed, to raise the alarm, to scatter from predators, to signal dominance and to enhance attractiveness and, in honey bees, even direct development into queen or worker. The image above is of male and female ladybirds that have clustered together in response to pheromones. With Tristram Wyatt Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Zoology at the University of OxfordJane Hurst William Prescott Professor of Animal Science at the University of Liverpooland Francis Ratnieks Professor of Apiculture and Head of the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects at the University of SussexProducer: Simon Tillotson