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Taste Buds and Receptors

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Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

RNAi-mediated Double Gene Knockdown and Gustatory Perception Measurement in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

RNAi-mediated Double Gene Knockdown and Gustatory Perception Measurement in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Published on: July 25, 2013

Taste perception in honey bees.

Maria Gabriela de Brito Sanchez¹

¹Research center on Animal Cognition, CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse Cedex, France. debrito@cict.fr

Chemical Senses

|May 31, 2011

Summary

Honeybees use taste for vital decisions, but their avoidance of bitter substances disappears when immobilized. This suggests taste processing prioritizes palatability for survival.

Area of Science:

Entomology
Neuroscience
Sensory Biology

Background:

Taste perception is critical for honeybees (Apis mellifera) in foraging, resource selection, and social interactions.
Peripheral taste detection involves gustatory sensilla on antennae, mouthparts, and legs, housing receptor cells sensitive to sugars, salts, and other compounds.
While honeybees detect various tastants, direct receptor responses to bitter substances remain unconfirmed, though inhibition of sucrose receptors by bitter compounds is observed.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate honeybee taste detection mechanisms and behavioral responses to different tastants.
To explore the role of taste in honeybee survival and decision-making.
To understand the central processing of taste information in the honeybee subesophageal ganglion.

Main Methods:

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Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.)

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Electrophysiological recordings from gustatory sensilla to assess receptor cell responses.
Behavioral assays measuring honeybee acceptance or rejection of solutions with varying tastant concentrations.
Observation of behavioral changes in immobilized versus free-moving bees.

Main Results:

Gustatory sensilla in honeybees respond to sugars, salts, and potentially amino acids, but not directly to bitter substances.
Free-moving bees exhibit avoidance of concentrated bitter and saline solutions.
Immobilized bees ingest these harmful solutions, indicating a loss of avoidance behavior under constrained conditions.

Conclusions:

Honeybee taste perception is complex, with behavioral responses modulated by context and mobility.
The central processing of taste likely involves coding tastants by palatability to ensure survival.
Understanding taste processing is crucial for comprehending honeybee foraging ecology and behavior.