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Social evolution and diminished olfactory function in larval honey bees.

Tianfei Peng¹, Zhenqing Chen¹, Amy C Cash Ahmed¹

¹Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|July 14, 2026

Summary

Larval honey bees have reduced smell abilities due to social evolution and reliance on nurse bees. They primarily use taste for feeding, unlike adult bees that rely heavily on olfaction.

Keywords:

honey bees olfaction social evolution

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Area of Science:

Insect biology
Evolutionary biology
Sensory neuroscience

Background:

Larval honey bees are fed by adult nurse bees and confined to cells.
Organismal resource conservation theory predicts reduced sensory capabilities in dependent larvae.
Adult honey bees extensively use olfactory receptors (ORs) for various behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the olfactory capabilities of larval honey bees at molecular and behavioral levels.
To test the hypothesis that social evolution leads to diminished olfactory function in honey bee larvae.
To compare sensory gene expression in larvae versus adults.

Main Methods:

Gene expression analysis, focusing on olfactory genes like Orco and gustatory genes like Ir25a.
Behavioral assays to assess olfactory-driven food finding in larvae.
Comparative transcriptomic analysis with other insects.

Main Results:

Larval honey bees express significantly lower levels of Orco, essential for olfactory receptor function.
Larvae show higher expression of Ir25a, involved in gustation and other sensory perceptions.
Behavioral tests confirmed larvae cannot locate food using olfaction, indicating reliance on taste.

Conclusions:

Honey bee larvae exhibit suppressed olfactory capabilities, consistent with organismal resource conservation theory.
The diminished olfactory function in larvae is likely a result of social evolution and specialized care systems.
Larval feeding relies on gustation rather than olfaction, contrasting with adult honey bee sensory strategies.