Karen Northcott, age 7, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for her question:

Can a fly smell?

The insects of this world do not have noses like ours. But they are much better smellers than we are. A certain velvety moth can sniff his lady love, even if she is a mile away, and flutter straight to her side. A frisky fly can smell food from afar, which is why we find her on garbage and leftovers. Naturally we wonder how in the world she can smell things without a nose.

However, insects have antennas on their heads. These sensitive feelers can test warmth and moisture in the air. They also can test the taste of this and that  and smell their favorite foods from afar. Most insects have long skinny antennas. But the fly has very small ones. They are like two very tiny fingers, placed between her big round eyes    where you would expect a nose to be. Her tiny feelers sniff her favorite food. As we know, she is a dangerous pest because her feet are covered with germs. This is why we put our leftovers away and cover the garbage can with a very tight lid.