Anatomy of a Honeybee Sting
A single honey bee is composed of three main body parts: the head which has the antenna, the three segments of the thorax which has the legs and wings, and the six visible segments of abdomen culminating in the stinger.
The head is made up of two large eyes and a mouth, which is used to lap nectar and excrete wax. The two compound eyes have lens and sensory cells that determine color and light. The three simple eyes help to sharpen vision and identify the amount of light in the environment. One way honey bees communicate is by touching the ends of their antennae together. The honey bee's antennae also detect colors. The mandibles are used for eating pollen for food, feeding the larvae and the queen, cleaning the hive and fighting.
The middle part of the bee's anatomy, or thorax, is composed of the legs and wings. The forewings are longer than the hind wings. These two sets of wings are connected to one another, aiding in balance.
The honey bee's leg has three parts: the foreleg's U-shaped notch is used to clean pollen and other objects from the antennae; the middle leg cleans the wings and body and loosens pollen baskets from the back legs to transfer them to the bee hive; and the hind leg collects pollen and stores it in ball-shaped pollen baskets connected to the legs.
The abdomen holds the digestive and reproductive organs, and is tipped with a sharp stinger. The honey bee's stinger appears hollow and allows the bee to shoot poison into the victim.
Honey bees have an exo-skeleton made from chitin and coated in layers of wax. Unlike vertebrates, they have no interior bones. The layers of wax on the honey bee's body protect it from losing moisture or water, and the exoskeleton prevents the bee from growing in size. Because honey bees shed their skins several times during the larval stage, they remain the same size throughout adulthood.
Difference between Honey Bees and Wasps
