138 



THE PHYSIOLOGY OF INSECT SENSES 



carbohydrates have been undertaken with the honeybee (Vogel, 1931 ; 

 von Frisch, 1934), Calliphora (Haslinger, 1935), water beetles (Bauer, 

 1938), the ants Lasius niger, Myrmica rubra, and M. rubida (Schmidt, 

 1938), wireworms (Thorpe et al., 1947), the butterfly Pyrameis 

 atalanta (Weis, 1930), the blowfly Phormia (Hassett, Dethier, and 

 Gans, 1950; Dethier, 1955). The number of sugars acceptable to these 



Table 6 



(From Dethier, 1953 a) 



Acceptance thresholds of various insects for sugars 



(Molar concentrations) 



* Non-stimulating at all concentrations. 

 . . . Not tested. 



species varies, the blowflies being more catholic than either the honey- 

 bee or the ants. However, if the data of von Frisch, HasHnger, and 

 Hassett et al. are compared (Table 6), allowances made for statistical 

 variance, and the sugars divided into three categories (mono-, di-, and 

 tri-saccharides), certain general relationships appear. For bees the 

 order of effectiveness is : (dissaccharides) sucrose = maltose > 



