Do insects feel pain?

What is pain? The medical encyclopedia tells us that it is "a painful sensation that arises under the influence of strong or super strong irritants." This is quite applicable to humans, but insects do not feel pain because they lack special receptors - nociceptors that report pain.

If we pierce the bronze beetle with a needle and move it in space, then it will quickly move its paws, which, as it seems to us, indicates the severe pain that it experiences. But if you put it on a plane, then the bug will calm down and stop moving actively before it has a need to fly.

Insects are able to respond to external stimuli, but it is believed that they do not experience pain or suffering, since this is a category of emotions that insects are deprived of.

However, British scientists from the World Federation of Animal Welfare conducted an experiment that showed that the reaction of insects is almost indistinguishable from a person’s reaction to pain: accelerated movement, the desire to leave a dangerous area as soon as possible.