Bees use their sense of smell to communicate. They detect a lot of different smells, both inside and outside of the hive, to spot an enemy or locate flowers. If you look at a bee, the fist thing you notice is their always-moving antennas. It is their most essential organ to increase their awarness and perception of their environment.
Antennas, the bees’ noses
Bees operate their antennas as human would for their noses. They also use their antennas to get around and find the right direction.
Some sells are appealing, such as flowers’ or their queen’s. For instance males are attracted by the queen during fertilization periods. Other smells are highly repulsive to bees, such as the beekeepers’ smokers or some human beings’ smells.
Antennas, tool of other senses
Bees’ antennas have other uses, such as measuring carbon dioxide or humidity for example, but not all uses are known to us. Also, antennas have influence on bees’ sense of taste and flying speed.