Social behavior in bees has a number of advantages. One of the most important of these is the ability to quickly mobilize a large number of foragers to gather floral resources that may only be available for a short period of time. The ability to communicate location with such precision is one of the most interesting behaviors of a very interesting insect.
The recruitment of foragers from a hive begins when a scout bee returns to the hive engorged with …
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Although this work is a century old it is still one of the best descriptions of honey bee anatomy available.
Longitudinal, median, vertical section of entire body of worker, showing nervous system (OpL-7Gng), tracheal system (TraSc, 1-10), dorsal and ventral diaphragms of abdomen (DDph and VDph), and dorasl vessel consisting of heart (Ht) and aorta (Ao) Download a larger |
These images are taken from ‘Morphology of the Honey Bee Larva’ by J.A. Nelson. Download a .pdf: Morphology of the Honeybee Larva.
Nervous system and ventral body wall of mature honeybee larva, showing the brains (Br), the central body of the tentorium (Ten), thoratic letgs (1L, 2L, 3L), ventral nerve cord (VNC), ganglion (Gng), genital rudiments (G1-3), rudiments of wings (WngR)and Suboesophageal ganglion (SoeGng). Download a larger version: Nervous system and ventral body wall of mature honeybee larva. |
A: Honey |
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Many animals live together as a group, but they are not necessarily social (e.g. a school of fish) because there is a very precise definition when it comes ot sociality. …
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Head of the honey bee
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The head is the center of information gathering. It is here that the visual, gustatory and olfactory inputs are received and processed. Of course, food is also input from here. Important organs on or inside the head: 1. Antennae, 2. Eyes, 3. Mouth parts, 4. Internal structures. |
The following two works contain anatomical diagrams of the honey bee that have stood the test of time. You may see images from these articles in modern books about honey bees.
Nelson, J. A. 1924. Morphology of the Honeybee Larva. Journal of Agricultural Research. Vol. 28. No. 12. p.1167. Washington, D.C. …
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Thorax of the honey bee
The thorax is the center for locomotion and has three segments, each with a pair of spiracles for letting in air. Bees have 2 pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. The legs are very versatile, with claws on the last tarsomere, allowing bees to have good grip on rough |
On the surface the abdomen has no special outside structures, but is the center for digestion and reproduction (for drones and queens). It also houses the sting, a powerful defense against us humans.
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Discover the intricacies of honey bee anatomy
As a member of the insect class (Insecta), honey bees share with other insects the following characteristics. Honey bees are segmented in nearly all their body parts: three segments of thorax, six visible segments of abdomen (the other three are modified into the sting, legs and antenna are also segmented. Honey bees have an exoskeleton, which …
Basic manipulation of a bee hive conforms to the seasonal cycle of bee biology. Beekeepers disrupt defensive behavior by application of smoke, assist bees in protecting against infection of diseases or predation by small and large predators, provide conditions for normal brood and population expansion and also ensure adequate space for storage of reserves necessary for winter survival. When all goes well, the beekeeper harvests the reserve stores leaving adequate food for daily maintenance and overwinter success.
The “key” to …
