A smell for a task: the chemical signature differs between tasks in the Yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax

Labour division in insect societies is a major component explaining their ecological success. Workers contribute to the colonial survival by exerting different tasks within their colony such as brood care, nest building, defence and foraging. These tasks are identified by conspecifics through chemical communication. Cuticular Hydrocarbons Compounds, are used like contact pheromone for inter and intra-specific recognition behaviours. These CHCs which can vary qualitatively and quantitatively, represent the chemical signature of the individual, giving it its identity to congeners. In this study, we analysed the chemical signature of the social invasive insect, the Asian hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax, in four different types of workers: animal foragers, builders, guardians and material foragers. Our results showed that animal foragers exhibit a clear putative specialization of their chemical profiles compared to their counterparts. Also, CHCs were identified as discriminating for animal foragers and other workers.