Dance Language of the Honey Bee

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 …

Illustrations from Anatomy of the Honey Bee by R.E. Snodgrass

Although this work is a century old it is still one of the best descriptions of honey bee anatomy available.

Download a full version of The Anatomy of the Honey Bee.

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)

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Illustrations from Morphology of the Honey Bee Larva by J.A. Nelson

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

Bees and Social Insects

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Definition of eusociality

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. …

Head Segment of the Honey Bee

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Head

Head of the honey bee
Head of the honey bee

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.

Antenna(e)

Honey bee antenna with its three segments labeled
Honey

Historical Anatomical Literature of Honey Bee Anatomy

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.

A, Honeybee larvae treated with caustic potash, showing tracheal system, side view, X18; B, head of larva treated with caustic potash, right side, showing distribution of tracheae, X 44

Nelson, J. A. 1924. Morphology of the Honeybee Larva. Journal of Agricultural Research. Vol. 28. No. 12. p.1167. Washington, D.C. …

Thorax of the Honey Bee

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Thorax

Thorax of the honey bee
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

Abdomen of the Honey Bee

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.

A worker, a drone, and a queen can be distinguished by the size and shape of their abdomen. The queen pictured here was laying eggs, as can be seen by her large abdomen.
A worker, a drone, and a queen can be distinguished by the size and shape of their abdomen. The queen pictured here was laying eggs, as can be seen by her large abdomen.



Contents

Anatomy of the Honey Bee

Image:HoneyBeeAnatomyFeature.jpgDiscover the intricacies of honey bee anatomy

 

Like all insects, the honey bee is made up of three major segments: head, thorax, and abdomen.

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 …

Hive Management (Basic Bee Biology for Beekeepers)

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 …