Medicinal VOCs in Plants Recommended for Prairie Strips and Pollinator Gardens as Prophylactic and Curative Support for Pollinating Insects: A Review

Plant VOCs are signaling compounds that attract pollinators, protect plants from stress, disease and predation, have allelopathic effects and play a role in plant growth and development. The purpose of this review was to evaluate pollinator plants for secondary metabolite VOCs such as monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes for their potential medicinal value to pollinating insects. To address disease pathogens impacting native pollinators and honeybees, plants with medicinal VOCs can be selected for prairie strips and pollinator gardens as agricultural best management practices. Eight flowering plants - bee balm, echinacea, catmint, prairie rose, lavender, thyme, oregano and red clover contain VOCs in their nectars and pollens such as caryophyllene, myrcene, germacrene, cymene, thymol, cineol, carvacrol, borneol, nonanal, linalool and terpineol that offer antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant benefits and some are acaricides that may aid in controlling the Varroa destructor mite (=jacobsoni).