Parts of a Bee

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Honey bees are extraordinary insects with specialized anatomy. Each of the major parts of a bee are designed to fulfill a special function. Whether working inside the hive or gathering resources in the field, our bees have the anatomy needed to get the job done. In this guide, you will learn about the major body parts of the honey bee and how this design allows them to do the tasks they need to survive.

Honey bee image showing the profile major body parts or anatomy.

It is important for us beekeepers to have an understanding of bee anatomy. Understanding their body structure gives us a deeper insight into how these industrious insects thrive in complex social systems. Considering all the amazing facts about honey bees – you must be a bit impressed.

Honey Bee Anatomy

All of the parts of a honey bee work together to make survival possible. Each special job has a matching anatomical structure to help get the task completed.

These include flying distances to collect food (wings), defending the hive (stingers), building beeswax comb (wax glands) etc.

It is beneficial to understand what normal bee anatomy looks like. This can help you recognize problems. For instance, are the queen’s wings supposed to be that short?

This is where some good beekeeping books comes in handy, many have excellent diagrams. Practical knowledge like this is especially helpful for those just getting started in beekeeping.

Honey Bee Anatomy Diagram

Honey bee anatomy diagram with parts of a bee labeled image.

3 Main Body Parts

To really understand bees, we must learn a bit of basic insect anatomy. Yes, honey bees are insects.

And like all insects, they have 3 major body sections. Each section has a primary focus that contributes to the overall function of the whole body.

  1. head
  2. thorax
  3. abdomen.

The Bee Head – Sensory Body Part

Have you ever seen a macro shot of the head of a bee? In fact, it looks rather scary. The head of the honey bee is a multi-sensory powerhouse. It gathers information about every aspect of life outside the body.

Structures located on the head gather information that makes it possible for the foraging insect to maneuver through the environment.

  • eyes
  • antenna
  • mouth parts
  • sensory hairs
Parts of honey bee head labeled.

Eyes of Bees

Honey bees have 5 eyes. In fact, they have 2 different types of eyes – compound and simple. The two large compound eyes take up a large area on the face.

Compound Eyes -The compound eye of worker bees is made up of about 6900 hexagonal facets – that’s good vision. Those of a drone or male bee are even more powerful. They have to be able to see virgin queens in flight!

The large compound eyes are also covered with hair. Yep, bees have furry eyeballs! The hairs are very sensitive and help bees navigate.

Ocelli – Near the top of the head, you will find 3 small eyes located close together. They look like little dots and are called ocelli.

Not used for sight, ocelli are light sensors. They help the worker navigate and know when its time to return to the hive.

Do Bees Have a Nose? – The Antenna

If bees had a nose – it would be the antenna. And, many beekeepers would agree that the bee does have a nose and a darn good one. The 2 honey bee antennae collect information about taste, touch and smell.

The 2 antennae can act independently. This helps the flying bee locate sweet smelling nectar in different directions.

This ability is especially important to the scout bees whose job is to seek out resources for the hive.

One special structure located on the antenna is the Johnston’s organs. These structures are able to detect airflow. This measures how fast the bee is flying – and how far.

Sensory impressions are vital to bees. Worker bees must know where to look for food and how to get there. They must recognize familiar landmarks and sense when the weather is too bad to fly.

Honey bee with proboscis mouth part extended image.

Mouth: Bee Proboscis or Bee Tongue

Located in the head region, the proboscis functions as the tongue of the honey bee. The proboscis is actually composed of 3 mouth parts that come together to function like a straw.

This is a useful tool to suck up water or sweet plant nectar. Proboscis length varies among insects. Flowers with a long throat may be too deep for the honey bee to reach inside.

Jaws and mandibles of the mouth region are also used to manipulate and shape wax, chew pollen and other tasks. For their size, the jaw of the honey bee is quite strong.

Brood Food Glands

Young adult workers have well developed brood food glands (including the Hypopharyngeal gland) located inside the mouth.

These glands produce different types of food for bee brood (or developing young). Workers (females) of any age can bee larvae but young adults are the most productive. It is important that they be well fed, in order to, nourish the new generation.

side view of thorax section of honey bee

Thorax: Middle Section-Locomotion

The middle section of the honey bee is the thorax. It also have 3 sections though it looks like just one to the naked eye. A lot of action takes place within this part of bee anatomy – it is all about movement.

  • wings
  • legs
  • special structures – pollen basket

Honey Bee Wings

A honey bee has 4 wings ( 2 pair on each side of the thorax). The forewings are larger than the hind wings. Look closely and you will see small veins in the wings that offer support.

Small sets of hooks called “hamuli” enable the front and back wings to hook together and beat in unison.

For years, researchers could not understand how bees can fly with such small wings. Later, it was revealed that special movement of the wings made it possible.

In addition to flying, workers use their wings to control temperatures inside the hive. Fanning near the hive entrance or inside encourages air movement.

This helps keep the temperature in the brood region at the proper temperature and humidity for baby bees to develop.

How Many Legs do Bees Have?

Bees have 3 pair of legs (total of 6 ) and 2 pair of wings (total of 4), walking, flying and moving in general is made possible by these structures.

Three legs are located on each side of the thorax. The structure of the legs makes them valuable when grooming.

After gathering pollen, you will often see a bee stop and use her legs to clean her sensitive antenna before taking flight.

She also uses comb-like structures on the legs to clean pollen off her hairy body. And yes, bees do in fact have knees!

Close up showing specialized pollen baskets on worker bee and bees building wax comb with wax glands.

Special Worker Bee Body Parts

All honey bees share some common anatomical features – but there are differences too. For instance, workers have a special structure on their hind legs.

Pollen baskets – long sharp, bristly hairs are used for carrying pollen (or propolis) back to the hive. Other leg structures such as the pollen brush and pollen press help load grains of pollen onto the legs.

Only worker bees have pollen baskets. Drones and Queens don’t need pollen baskets because they are not foraging bees.

Wax Glands – Another special part of worker bee anatomy is the wax glands. Wax glands are located in pairs on the underside of the abdomen. Each wax gland secretes a small clear scale of beeswax that is shaped into comb.

The worker bees hang in long chains and use their legs to mold beeswax into hexagonal honeycomb cells. We call this “drawing comb” and the colony must build a lot of comb to form their home.

Abdomen

The abdomen of the honey bee is also made up of segments. The major organs that control digestion, circulation and respiration are located here.

You will also find the scent glands (responsible for honey bee alarm pheromones) and orientation signals here.

Inside the abdomen, are the reproductive organs. Queen bees have large ovaries that produce eggs and a special structure called a spermatheca to hold semen from drones. Honey bee reproduction is complex.

Inside the abdomen of males you will find internal testes that hold semen and sperm. Mating flights occur outside the hive at special areas called drone congregation areas. It is a risky business as not all queens make it back to the hive.

The surface of the bee abdomen is the part of the bee that has the most notable color or markings. In one hive, you may see many honey bee color variations range from light to dark – this is due to genetics.

And at the end of the body, we find what might be the most well-known part of bee anatomy, the stinger.

Honey bee worker with stinger part exposed and stinger embedded in human skin.

Honey Bee Stingers

The stinger may be the most unpopular part of bee anatomy. But without this defense mechanism, the colony could not survive. There are 2 different types of stingers on honey bees.

Only female bees have stingers. It is actually a modified “ovipositor”. That is just a technical term for a structure involved in bee egg laying.

The stinger of a queen bee is smooth. She can use it multiple times to sting rivals in the colony.

But, worker bees have a barbed stinger that becomes embedded in the skin of mammals. Since it will not usually withdraw from skin – most stinging bees die.

Having the stinger remain in the skin may be an advanced survival technique. The stinger and venom sac structure will continue to pump venom into the sting wound for a few seconds.

Quick removal of the stinger will make any remedies for bee stings more effective. Scrape that stinger out!

Honey Bee Crop – Honey Stomach

The crop or honey stomach is a special expandable structure located between the esophagus and true digestive tract of the worker bee.

It stores collected nectar until the bee is ready to return to the hive. No true digestion happens in the crop. Honey is not bee vomit as you may read elsewhere.

Being one of the most popular insects in the world has resulted in many studies. Yet, we are still learning more bee facts and trying to unravel this mysterious insect.

Each type of bee in the hive has specialized structures or body parts that allow them to fulfil their role. Amazing isn’t it?

FAQs

Do honey bees have a heart?

Honey bees have an open circulatory system. They do have a heart structure but no arteries or veins.

What type of legs do honey bees have?

Honeybees have 6 legs – 3 on each side. The front legs are designed for cleaning antenna and molding wax. The rear legs are designed to carry pollen back to the hive.

Do bees poop?

Yes, honey bee do poop but they try to only expel wastes when outside the hive. Those little yellow splotches on your car…. could be honey bee poop.

Do honey bees have blood?

Honey bees do not have blood. Instead, they have a clear liquid called haemolymph that carries all the nutrients they need to survive. It does not carry oxygen like human blood.

How do bees breathe?

Honey bees have valves called spiracles on the thorax and abdomen. They connect to hollow tubes (called trachea) that allow the exchange of gasses.

Final Thoughts

The parts of a bee may not always be large and noticeable but each one is necessary for survival of the colony. Thousands of individuals working together to collect the resources bees need and take care of the family.

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