Anatomy of Honey Bees Explained
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Anonymous Wu6FDjbAnatomy of Honey Bees Explained
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Anonymous Wu6FDjb11/16/2018 The Anatomy of Bees - PerfectBee
P E R F E C TB E E
YO U R FI RST B EEH I V E & B EYO N D
The Anatomy of Bees
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The Science of Bees
Why Bees Rock!
The Incredible Diversity of Bees
The Anatomy of Bees
Honey Bee Genetics
How Honey Bees Reproduce
The Honey Bee Life Cycle
Exploring the Process of Pollination
The Secrets of Honeycomb
How Bees Use Pheromones
Why Bees Can’t Fly?
The Common Races of Honey Bees
Section Test : 1.1 The Science of Bees
The Life of Bees
The Role of the Drone Bee
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The Role of the Queen Bee
The Role of the Worker Bee
Inside and Out of the Beehive
How Bees Sense and React to Their World
Why and How Bees Forage
How Do Bees Make Honey?
Sticking with Propolis
Understanding The Honey Flow
Fat Bees and the Winter Cluster
Why and How Bees Swarm
Section Test : 1.2 The Life of Bees
About Beekeeping
The Philosophy of Natural Beekeeping
Beekeeping with Kids
The Growth and Feasibility of Urban Beekeeping
Understanding, Avoiding and Coping with Stings
Finding Beekeeping Clubs and Mentors
Beekeeping and The Neighbors
Top Beekeeping Books For Your Bookshelf
Responsible Beekeeping
Section Test : 1.3 About Beekeeping
The honey bee, though small in size, is a complex and sophisticated creature. This is an insect
perfectly adapted to its environment, enabling it to co-exist with other living things in a delicately
balanced give-and-take, evolved over millions of years.
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The anatomy of the bee has a stunning e ciency. With honey bee anatomy, every element has
a clear, well-defined purpose, to the point of being fine-tuned to reflect the differences in roles
between the worker, drone and queen bees.
Let’s take a closer look at the beautiful makeup of the bee.
The body of the honey bee is divided into 3 sections – the head, the thorax and the abdomen.
Each section serves its own purpose and supports the functions of the attached body parts.
The head features eyes, antennae, mandibles and a very functional, yet tiny, brain
The thorax is the base for the legs and the wings
The abdomen contains the stinger, wax glands and reproductive organs
Together these form the honeybee’s exoskeleton – an “external skeleton”. This is largely covered
in a layer of hair to aid the bee in gathering pollen and regulating body temperature.
Exoskeleton
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An external skeleton that protects and supports an animal’s body, as opposed to an
endoskeleton which is an internal skeleton evident in humans and other animals.
Head
Antennae
The antennae on the head of the honey bee form a sensory power house, providing a function
for a bee’s sense of touch, smell, taste and even a unique form of hearing. Curiously, males
have 13 segments making up each antenna, while females have 12. In both cases, there is an
elbow-like “joint” along the antenna.
For touch, the antennae feature mechanoreceptors. The sense of touch is a rather obvious
benefit from the antennae but, to the surprise of scientists, it turns out they also provide the
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sense of hearing.
For many years it was felt that bees – despite having an almost magical set of primary senses –
were unable to hear. Indeed, the traditional pressure-based ear, such as in humans, is absent.
However, scientists were confused why some studies suggested bees were indeed responding
to sound.
Keep in mind that what we consider sound is merely vibration at frequencies we happen to
detect with our ears. There is no rule of nature dictating the “vibration detection apparatus”, that
we happen to call ears, have to be attached to the side of the head! If a creature has a way to
detect vibrations, through any mechanism, it can “hear”.
The machanoreceptors on the bee’s antennae respond to the movement of air particles, at
frequencies associated with sound. So, through a different principle to our own ears – and
because bees would look somewhat silly with ears – bees are, in fact, able to detect sound!
Bees have no ears
But they can “hear” through their antennae.
Antennae also feature odor receptors, though they are not the only part of a bee’s anatomy that
can detect odors. In the antennae alone, bees pack a whopping 170 odor receptors, giving them
an extremely well-evolved sense of smell.
Bees also use their antennae to communicate with other bees, through touch. Interestingly,
honeybees rely primarily on the right antennae to communicate. The favoritism shown toward
the right antennae is a mystery to scientists. Studies have been conducted that prove honey
bees do not function as well when forced to use only their left antennae. The proclivity to use
their right antennae is akin to a human being right- or left-handed.
Compound Eyes
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Honey bees possess two sets of eyes – compound and simple. The large eyes you observe
when looking at a honey bee are compound eyes.
Each compound eye is comprised of many eye units. These units take in a separate image and
transfer the information to the brain where it is pieced together into a single image. This process
also helps with the honey bee’s ability to see the world in polarized light.
Ommatidia
The small structures making up the compound eye of the bee, each containing groups of
photoreceptor, support and pigment cells.
Polarized vision is like looking through a pair of sunglasses. This type of vision allows bees to
navigate and process information faster and protects their eyes from the harshness of
daylight. Viewing the world through polarization gives bees a form of tunnel vision that guides
them to their food source and back to the hive.
Simple Eyes
The three simple eyes of the honeybee have a single lens, which collects UV light. The UV light
allows the bee to see the location of pollen as a dark spot, so they know where to land.
In conjunction with their compound eyes, the bee’s UV polarized vision is the perfect tool for
location of food sources.
Proboscis
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By Nicely Inhibited
The proboscis is another name for the tongue of a bee. It is like the human tongue, in that it is
soft and can be extended. Relative to the size of the average honey bee, the proboscis is long, a
result of evolution helping the bee to reach the center of a ower to collect nectar. The
proboscis is also used to clean their hairs or to groom one another, especially the queen.
The length of the proboscis...
…averages around 6.5 mm (0.25”).
Mandibles
Mandibles are the honey bee’s incredibly strong jaws that protect the rest of the mouthparts.
The mouthparts consist of a tongue and other complicated organs that collect nectar from
flowers.
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The mandibles of the worker bee differ from the queen and her drones. The queen and drones
have pointed mandibles to aid in cutting and biting, but worker bee’s mandibles are smoothed
to aid in the production of wax.
Inner Head
Of course, hidden from view is the brain. Given its size, the bee brain has an extraordinary
capacity to process rich information and make decisions.
The brain is made up of a series of lobes. There are also glands inside of the head that produce
secretions from the mouth, used in the creation of wax and royal jelly (a substance made by
worker bees to feed larvae).
Thorax
The thorax is the midsection of the honeybee and is primarily focused on locomotion. The
thorax features six legs and two pairs of wings. The muscles in the thorax allow the bee to
control the movement of the wings during flight. The rapid contractions of the muscles produce
the quicksilver movement of the wings.
Wings
The wings of a honey bee can carry the insect through the air at 15 miles per hour. These
wings are arranged in two pairs, connected by a row of hooks on the back wing.
The fore wings are much larger than the hind wings, but they both help with flight. Lift off
happens because a propeller-like twist is given to each wing during the up and down strokes.
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Speed is improved by the fast pulsating muscles located in the thorax. Bees have a range of up
to 5 miles from their hive, allowing them to expand their area of pollination.
Legs
The honey bee has three pairs of legs which split into six segments, making them very flexible.
The front legs are specially designed to clean the antennae, while the rear legs have a section
devoted to pollen accumulation called a pollen basket.
Each leg has claws for gripping and sticky pads to assist the bee in landing on slick surfaces.
Bees also have taste receptors on the tips of their legs.
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The worker bee has a different set of back legs than the other bees in the hive, containing
special combs and a pollen press. These are used to brush, collect, pack and carry pollen and
propolis back to the hive.
Pollen Basket
The pollen basket is located the bee’s
hind legs and consists of hairs
surrounding a concave structure. As a
bee visits a ower, she grooms herself
and brushes pollen sticking to her body
toward her hind legs. She then packs
the pollen into the pollen basket.
To help keep the pollen together during
flight, some nectar is mixed in. Finally, the hairs on the pollen basket hold it all in place.
Abdomen
Reproductive Organs
In queen bees, the abdomen
features the spermatheca, which is
used to store sperm collected during
her mating ights and when laying,
as she fertilizes eggs. The ovaries of
the queen will mature and begin
producing eggs between the age of
1-2 weeks and she will continue to
lay eggs until her death.
For the drone, his sexual organ is a Drone Penis – Michael L Smith
“use once” device! After the drone
mates his sexual organs are ripped
from him, causing his death.
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Another curiosity is that his ejaculation is so explosive that it can be heard by the human ear.
Wax Glands
For worker bees, four pairs of wax-producing scales exist on the underside of the abdomen.
These secrete liquefied wax, which harden into thin scales when exposed to air.
The task of creating wax within a hive is left to young worker bees. Workers can create around 8
scales in a 12-hour period. Around 1,000 such scales must be created within the colony to
make a single gram of wax.
Stinger
Of all components of the anatomy of a bee, the stinger is the one that the layman considers first!
The stinger is the honey bee’s only true line of defense. Honey bees will sting only as a last
resort when threatened, because once they have used their stinger they typically die.
The stinger differs across worker, queen and drone as follows:
Worker: The stinger is barbed, and once inserted into human skin will be torn away as the
bee struggles to free herself. This usually results in the death of the worker.
Queen. A queen’s stinger has no barb and she can therefore sting repeatedly without
losing it. Note, however, that stings by queen bees are quite rare.
Drone: Nothing to worry about with drones – they have no stinger!
In conclusion, the anatomy of the bee is beautiful and incredibly efficient. The next time you see
a honey bee, consider how that tiny body packs so much into such a small space.
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Common questions
Powered by AIThe honey bee's antennae are a multi-sensory powerhouse allowing for touch, smell, taste, and hearing through mechanoreceptors that detect air particle vibrations . The bees’ compound eyes, composed of ommatidia, facilitate vision in polarized light which enhances navigation by providing them polarized 'tunnel vision' to locate food sources effectively . Together, these structures enable bees to process complex information and navigate their surroundings efficiently.
The thorax houses strong flight muscles, providing locomotion via rapid wing movement; these muscles enable high-speed flight and sustained hovering, crucial for foraging . The thorax also supports six legs, aiding in landing stability and pollen collection. Its structure is pivotal for effective environmental interaction and internal hive duties.
The proboscis is a long, extendable tongue that allows bees to reach deep into flowers to extract nectar . Its structure is crucial because it enables efficient nectar collection, a primary food source, supporting both individual nourishment and the needs of the hive.
Bees use a highly developed sense of smell through 170 odor receptors in their antennae to detect pheromones for communication with other bees. Antennae also facilitate touch-based communication, with a noted proficiency primarily using the right antenna . Smell and tactile senses are essential for colony coordination and survival.
Polarized vision enables bees to navigate using sunlight patterns, effectively acting like sunglasses that reduce glare and provide clear visual cues to locate flowers and navigate back home . This adaptation allows them to process visual information faster and more accurately, enhancing foraging efficiency compared to non-polarized vision.
Wax scale production by young worker bees is crucial for building and maintaining the honeycomb, the hive’s structural core for developing larvae, storing honey, and pollen . Each worker can produce only a limited number of scales daily, and many thousands are needed to produce a gram of wax, highlighting the collective effort and vital role of young workers in ensuring the colony's sustainability and growth.
The compound eyes allow honey bees to see polarized light and help in navigation by transforming multiple small images into one continuous picture . Simple eyes collect UV light, highlighting pollen as dark spots, directing bees to potential food sources . Together, these eyes provide a comprehensive approach for locating and gathering nectar efficiently.
The worker bee's barbed stinger is a one-time defense mechanism, leading to the bee's death after use, which serves the hive’s protection at personal cost . The queen has a smooth stinger that allows multiple uses, reflecting her protective role against threats within the hive. Drones lack stingers entirely, aligning with their primary role of mating rather than defense .
Worker bee mandibles are smooth, aiding in wax production, while queen and drone bees have pointed mandibles for cutting and biting . These differences are significant because they tailor each type of bee to its specific roles—workers handle tasks like wax production critical for hive maintenance, drones and queens require sharp mandibles for mating-related purposes.
The honey bee's wings and thorax are adapted for proficient flight. Their wings can reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour due to rapid muscle contractions in the thorax, where two pairs of wings are connected by a row of hooks that help in flight . The legs, particularly the rear ones, have pollen baskets that allow bees to collect and transport pollen effectively . The thorax’s muscles manage wing movement to provide the necessary lift through a propeller-like twist during strokes, aiding bees in traveling up to 5 miles from their hive for foraging .