... are haematophagous insects that feed on vertebrate blood. Once they reach a potential host, they walk over the host skin searching for an adequate site to pierce. Then, they insert their stylets and take a first sampling gorge to decide whether food is acceptable. Our work reveals that the presence of bitter...

... insect sugar bitter Most insects show immediate appetitive responses to sugars. For instance, the probability that butterflies, bees and flies will extend their proboscis in response to taste stimulation increases with sugar concentration ( Dethier, 1976 ; Schoonhoven and van Loon, 2002...