| Many insects have the ability to taste things with different parts of their bodies. They have sensors in these body parts, usually in the form of tiny hairs. These act similarly to the taste buds in our tongues. A fly is one type of insect that can taste things just by landing on it. This is because it has taste receptors in the hairs on its feet. In fact, when a fly rests upon a surface that is some kind of food, the fly’s mouth will open automatically as a reflex action. Another insect that can perform the same function is a butterfly. Some insects can taste things using the thin hairs on their antennae. Honey bees and wasps are two such creatures. In the same way that they taste things, they can also use these hairs to smell odours that pass through the air. |