Contact Chemosensory Genes Identified in Leg Transcriptome of Apis cerana cerana (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Correct gustatory recognition and selection of foods both within and outside the hive by honey bee workers are fundamental to the maintenance of colonies. The tarsal chemosensilla located on the legs of workers are sensitive to nonvolatile compounds and proposed to be involved in gustatory detection. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the gustatory recognition of foods in honey bees.