bee anatomy slideshow
TRANSCRIPT
HeadThe bee’s head contains it’s
sensory organs –eyes, antenna, etc.
ThoraxThe thorax is where legs and wings are attatched
AbdomenThe abdomen contains the digestive and reproductive
organs
LegsHoney bees have three pairs of segmented legs, used primarily for walking. Their legs however also have specialized areas such as the antennae cleaner on the
forelegs, and the pollen press/baskets on their hind legs.
WingsBees have four wings, two on
each side. Their fore wings are much larger than their hind
wings but together they propel the bee forward by not only flapping, but twisting like a
propeller on each up and down stroke.
EyesHoney bees, like other insects such as flies, etc., have compound eyes. This
means their eyes are made up of thousands of miniscule lenses called
facets. It is thought that the brain receives an image from each of these little lenses and puts them together
like a mosaic. An advantage of compound eyes is that they detect
movement. This is the reason honey bees are more likely to respond to a
moving flower than a still one.
EyesBees also see different colours to
humans. For example, they cannot see red at all! For the most part they
see 6 main colours: yellow, blue-green, blue, ultraviolet, violet, and a
special colour known as “bee’s purple”, a mixture of yellow and
ultraviolet. They see blue-green, violet and ‘bee’s
purple’ colours best.
AntennaeHoney bee antennae can move freely, set in small socket-like
areas on their heads and connected to the brain through a large double nerve, necessary for conveying all the crucial sensory
information.
AntennaeThe tiny sensory hairs all over
the antennae are responsive to touch and odor.
Proboscis / tongueBees have long tongues for
reaching the nectar deep inside flowers. They are hollow, like
straws, and are kept rolled up. When the bee goes to drink, it
unrolls its long tongue, and sucks the nectar through it like we would drink through a straw.
Proboscis / tongueThey also use their tongues to lick and clean themselves and other bees, as well as the hive
itself.
MandiblesBees have a pair of
mandibles, working like pliers or pincers on either side of their head. Mandibles are used for
cutting, grasping carrying, fighting, biting, and
working with wax to construct the honey comb.
StingerMost people will tell you that
honey bees die when they sting people, which is true most of the time, because honey bees only have one barbed stinger, when
they stick it through human skin it gets stuck and rips away the
end of their abdomen.