Bee antenna, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). Smell and touch are important senses for bees, especially when in their hive or nest. A honey bee antenna has thousands of sensory organs (receptors). The tip of this antenna is covered in hair-like sensory receptors. Some are specialized for touch (mechanoreceptors), some for smell (odour receptors), some for taste (gustatory receptors), and some for hearing (mechanoreceptors used to detect nearby air movements such as sounds).