Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-28
oLFACTORY SENSE OF
BEES HIGHLY DEVELOPED
Or. N. z. nclndoo Tells Of Expert
mental Work Showing Likes
and Oislikes.

UtNHhSh SA'~'H'fiS ~ftfN1
and oislikes.
In a pamphlet recently issued by the
Smithsonian Institution, Dr.. \. f. Me
Indoo OF the Bureau of Entomology
states that the sense of smell in honey
bees is highly developed, land that 1t
also serves as sense OF taste. In
some instances the bees seemed 10 dis
tlnguish a marked difference in the
taste between certain mixtures which
the scientist himself could scarcely
perceive.
untilrecently bdt littleexperimental
work has been performed to determine
whether insects have a true sense of
taste or gustat0ry sense, as il is term
ed in science. but the present author
has endeavored to show that bees have
likes and dislikes in regard 10 foods.
and has made careful study Of the
structure OF the sense organs on the
mou,h-part of the honey bee. In his
experiments he used something like
$500 bees. mostly adults. all of which
we're kept in their normal state.
Even in the higher forms of life it
is difficult 10 distinguish the sense Of
taste from that OF smell, and in his
experiments DR.. Mclndoo has discOv-
cred that In the bee these two senses
cannot be separated at alt In fact.
The rense of taste proves 10 be merely
one phase of the ollactory sense. or
sense of smell
Or. McIndoo began BY feeding the
bees several substances from which
five classes were chosen 10 study the
eects; rcpellant, sweet, bitter, sour
and salty substances. the four latter
being reprr sentative Of the attributes
of human taste.
The experiments show that bees like
honey hest of all foods, and that they
are able to distinguish the differences
between various kinds Of honey, that
they have likes and dislikes, and that
they can distinguish in foods differ
enees not perceptiblc to the writer, Oh
OF peppermint, which is agreeable To
.,an. is distasteful TO bees, while on
he contrary another substance which
the experimenter did not like seemed
TO please the bees.
II was also discovered that the bees
must first cat more OF less of certain
foods before they can distinguish be
tween them, indicating that they have
true gustatOry sense unless this dis
elimination is made possible by means
of the olfactory sense.
During his experiments he Also in
vestigated the tactile sense, or the
sense OF touch Of the honey bee, and
believes that with the organs for that
purpose the bee is enabled to mold in
uniform thickness the wall OF all lis
cells. He also investigated the manner
in which bees eat liquid foods by cap
illary attraction and by pumpin.
force which they possess. Solid sub
! stances, which they cannot eat a
once, are dissolved by the application
! OF saliva. lie discovered that manl
/ solid substances which are not pre-
viously smelled by the bees, releas,
odors through the physical or cheml
cal changes brought about Nhcn the!
/ are dissolved by saliva.
Dr. McIndoo and the few other sci
cniists who have fed insects food;
containing undesirable substances
have observed that they refuse slci
foods after eating more or less o.
them. From this observation tn,
other authors have concluded that in
sects can taste, although they havt
not ascertained whether they possess
sense organs anatOmically adapted
for tasting. nor have they considered
he role played by the sense OF smcl
in these responses.
The authors experiences durins
four years convince him that the oil
factory sense of the bee is mucl
keener than that Of man. Ninally, III
believes that their oliactory sense i,
highly developed, and that il serve,
them as sense OF smell and taSt'
} k.nnl