Page 133 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

Antennal flagellum Pedicle

insects’ scent-receptors lie not in their Scape
respiratory openings.) Yet these sensory
nerves do not make direct contact with
the substance being smelled since in-
sects’ bodies, including their antennae,
Magnified view of one
are covered in a shell of chitin.
of the pore plates on the
Under a microscope, the bee’s anten- worker bee’s antenna
nae can be seen to have a large number of
pore plates. The olfactory nerves from its Receptor
cells
brain terminate at these plates, which are
covered in a special membrane that helps Nerve
cells
protect the nerve endings. Yet these are
still able to detect scents. The area be-
tween the pore plates is covered with The seven types of sensory
sensory tiny hairs. 118 structures on the antennae:
a d
a. Small thick-walled hair
b. Thick-walled peg
e
The Taste System b c. Slender thin-walled peg
f d. Large thin-walled peg
e. Pore plate
Bees’ taste organs, in their mouth cav-
c g f. Pit organ
ities and proboscis, enable them to dis- g. Pit organ
tinguish sweet, sour, bitter and salty
tastes.
Of these, sweetness is the most important for honey-gathering bees. In
particular, bees are well able to distinguish the kinds of sugar necessary
for themselves. We can make a comparison here between bees and human
beings. Humans may not be able to differentiate very well between sugar
and artificial sweeteners with no nutritional value. But it is impossible to
deceive bees with artificial sweeteners: A bee can immediately tell the dif-
ference between these and real sugar, and will refuse to take water con-
taining the former. Because bees use the nectar they collect to make honey,
any error in recognizing sugar will lead to poor honey or none at all. 119

Adnan Oktar