Honey bee larvae temporarily lose sense of smell, study finds

Researchers led by entomologist Gene Robinson at the University of Illinois discovered that honey bee larvae experience a temporary loss of odor detection. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that expression of the olfactory coreceptor gene ORCO is dramatically reduced in larvae, while receptors needed for taste remain active.

Behavioral tests with over 1,200 larvae demonstrated no preference for food versus water and no avoidance of acetic acid, a repellent for adult bees. The authors attribute the sensory gap to the extreme brood care honey bees provide, arguing it is a developmentally regulated loss‑of‑function rather than a permanent genetic deletion.

The findings suggest that the intensive social environment of honey bee colonies shapes sensory development, allowing larvae to rely entirely on nurse bees for nourishment and protection.