You searched for: “colony odors
colony odor (s) (noun), colony odors (pl)
The smell or scent found on the bodies of social insects which is peculiar to a given colony.

By detecting the colony odor of another member of the same species, an insect is able to determine whether it is a nest mate.

This entry is located in the following unit: Ant and Related Entomology Terms (page 5)