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spermatheca_cover
Spermatheca of a laying queen. Covered with a rich network of tracheal system, the sperms inside can live up to 4 years since the queen only mate during a one week time window around age of 6-16 days....
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ovary
Ovary of a laying queen. Indivial ovarioles can be seen, with more mature eggs shown as yellowish. Egg cells move down the tube of overioles and become larger and more mature, eventually reaching the...
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queen_head
Queen head and worker head, head to head. Can you tell which one is the head of a queen? They are nearly identical in size. Hint: shape of mandibles are different. Queen head and worker head, head to...
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Q_W_D
A worker, a drone, and a queen. All recently killed by freezing. The queen was laying eggs before sacrificed, as can be seen by her large abdomen. A worker, a drone, and a queen. All recently killed...
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ganglion
Two ganglia connected by the ventral nerve cord, which is actually two cords (one for each side), each abdomen would have one ganglia. Notice the abdomen muscle (used to control contraction and...
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ganglia_fatbody
A ganglium from a worker abdomen, with the small globule like bodies (white) in the background. These are fatbodies, which function as a liver in bees, mainly for energy storage and detoxification. A...
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proventriculus
The proventriculus was opened to show teeth like structure that can be used to remove pollen and perhaps also grind up them. In grasshopper and other insects this is even more heavily scleritized for...
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proventriculus1
The white dot near the end of the honey crop is the proventriculus. This device can function as a comb to remove pollen from nectar and also as a valve so no digested food even comes in contact with...
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tracheal2
Tracheal system (silver-looking networks) on the midgut of a worker. The tracheal tubes branches smaller and smaller untill it goes into indivudual cells directly to deliver oxygen. Tracheal system...
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intestine1
Part of the digestive tract of a worker bee. The crop is missing for this one, but the midgut in on the top, connected to the hindgut (bottom) by the small intestine. Notice the rectum is filled with...
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digestive_tract
The digestive tract (intestine) of a worker bee, annotated. The digestive tract (intestine) of a worker bee, annotated.
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wax_scales
Workers around 6-12 days old can produce wax scales in their four pairs of wax glands. The glands are concealed between the inter-segmental membranes, but the wax scales produced can be seen, usually...
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wing_hooks
Wing hooks (hamuli) on the front edge of the hind wing and the fold of the front wing. Wing hooks (hamuli) on the front edge of the hind wing and the fold of the front wing.
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wings
Front wing (top) and hind wing (below). The two are synchronized together by a row of small hooks on hind wing and a fold on the rear edge of the front wing. Front wing (top) and hind wing (below)....
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claws_arolia
Closeup of the tip of a leg, showing the two claws on the sides and a soft pad (arolium) in the middle. The claws allow workers to grab on rough surfaces, while the arolium works as a suction pad to...
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rake_press
Rake (lower) and pollen press on the hindleg of a worker bee. Rake (lower) and pollen press on the hindleg of a worker bee.
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pollen_basket
Pollen basket on the hind leg. The bascket has long bristles (curved) on both sides, and there is also a signle bristle in the middle. Pollen basket on the hind leg. The bascket has long bristles...
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hind_leg
Hind leg of worker bee. The pollen basket is on the other side of the tibia (see next slide). Here you can see rows of think bristles on the basitarsus. Hind leg of worker bee. The pollen basket is on...
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