Insect olfaction Insect olfaction Insect olfaction refers to the function of chemical receptors that enable insects to detect and identify volatile compounds for foraging, predator avoidance, finding mating partners (via pheromones) and locating oviposition habitats. Thus, it is the most important sensation for insects. Most important insect behaviors must be timed perfectly which is dependent on what they smell and when they smell it. For example, olfaction is essential for hunting in many species of wasps, including "Polybia sericea". The two organs insects primarily use for detecting odors are the antennae and specialized mouth parts called the maxillary palps. However, a recent
Ant on a rubber rope the end of each second. Let formula_16 be the proportion of the distance from the starting-point to the target-point which the ant has covered at time "t". So formula_17. In the first second the ant travels distance formula_18, which is formula_19 of the distance from the starting-point to the target-point (which is formula_20 throughout the first second). When the rope stretches suddenly and instantaneously, formula_16 remains unchanged, because the ant moves along with the rubber where it is at that moment. So formula_22. In the next second the ant travels distance formula_18 again, which is formula_24 of the distance from