In stingless bees, unlike honey bees, the relationship between chemosensory abilities and colony labor division has been poorly studied. Here we examined odor reception and gustatory responsiveness of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula focusing on workers, whose are involved in different tasks. Using the proboscis extension response, we studied sucrose response thresholds (SRTs) of foragers and guards. Peripheral responses to odors at the antennae were recorded by electroantennography (EAG). Additionally, we quantified and described the number and type of sensilla present on the antennae using scanning electron microscopy. Foragers’ SRTs changed according to the resource collected: nonpollen foragers showed higher SRTs than pollen foragers and guards, that showed similar sucrose responsiveness. EAG signal strength of both foragers and guards increased with increasing odor concentration. Interestingly, guard bees showed the highest response to citral, an odor that triggers defensive behavior in T. angustula. Type and number of sensilla present in the antennae of guards and foragers were similar. Our results suggest that differences found in chemosensory responses among worker subcastes are task dependent.

在无刺蜂中，与蜜蜂不同，对化学感觉能力与菌落分工之间的关系研究很少。在这里，我们检查了无刺蜜蜂Tetragonisca angustula的气味接收和味觉响应能力专注于从事不同任务的工人。使用象鼻延伸反应，我们研究了觅食者和后卫的蔗糖反应阈值（SRT）。通过触角描记法（EAG）记录触角周围的气味。此外，我们使用扫描电子显微镜对触角上存在的感官的数量和类型进行了量化和描述。采食者的SRT随收集的资源而变化：非花粉觅食者的SRT高于花粉觅食者和守卫，后者显示出相似的蔗糖反应性。觅食者和保护者的EAG信号强度都随着气味浓度的增加而增加。有趣的是，守卫蜜蜂对柠檬醛的反应最高，这种气味会触发安氏杜鹃的防御行为。。警卫和觅食者触角中存在的感官类型和数量相似。我们的研究结果表明，工人子铸工之间在化学感应反应中发现的差异与任务有关。