Do Bees Really Have Knees?
Yes, bees really do have knees—or at least joints that we commonly call knees. On each of a bee’s six legs, the joint between the femur and tibia is considered the knee.You have surely heard the phrase “you are the bee’s knees”? This entertaining idiom from the early 20th century has caused many to pause and think a bit more about our bees. In this post, I will share with you some bee basics and help you decide if you can view this phrase as a positive compliment.
As a beekeeper, I am intrigued by the various parts of a bee and how their anatomy gives them the tools they need to survive. Each special feature has a purpose. They fit perfectly in nature’s plan.
Where are a Bee’s Knees?
A good question. But, before we can attempt to locate an actual knee on the bee, we must consider the basic body components.
Honey bees are insects. And like all insects, they have 3 distinct body segments (head, thorax and abdomen), 3 pairs of legs (total of 6) and an external skeleton.
Keep in mind that though we are loosely using the term bees here – these same anatomical structures are present in wasps, hornets, etc.
Bees and wasps are different but they share some common characteristics due to both being insects in the order Hymenoptera.
Even though they are very different from humans and other mammals, some of the structures of insects perform similar functions to ours. Your knees and elbow help you bend legs and arms to perform tasks.
Their many joints help them bend, fly and perform a multitude of tasks. All part of daily life for a bee throughout her short lifespan.
How Bee Legs Work
Wings are great for getting from here to there – but bees could not survive without their legs. The legs of honey bees are used in many daily activities and require a wide range of motion.
Because of their many segments (joined together by muscles and tendons), bees can twist and bend in all the ways needed to construct the thousands of honeycomb cells inside the hive.
Worker bees must be agile enough to collect and store pollen, clean their antenna before flight and remove unwanted intruders and pests from the hive.
What Counts as a Bee’s Knee?
In humans, the knee is the major joint in the mid-section of the leg. The knee joins the femur bone to the tibia bone. It makes bending and natural movements possible.
If you have ever had knee problems, you realize how much more difficult life is when you can’t use your knees properly.
In honey bees, we find a much more complex leg structure with more distinct segments. Before we can define the bee’s knees let’s define what a knee is.
The Femur-Tibia Joint
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary includes this description of a insect knee: “the joint between the femur and tibia of an insect”.
The bee does indeed have leg segments called the femur and tibia. This confirms that bees do have a body part that is generally referred to as a knee.
The main junctions between the femur and tibia of a bee is considered the bee’s knees. Of course, they do not have a knee cap (patella) but they don’t really need one.
The Anatomy Debate
Believe it or not, scientists do not always agree on how many knees bees have! You might think the obvious answer is 6 – due to having 6 legs.
If we consider the joint between the femur and tibia to be a knee, then a bee has six knees—one on each of its six legs.
The largest joint is the femorotibial joint. This is the section that bends most like a human knee, allowing the lower portion of the leg to bend and move.
You may see some sources refer only to the prominent joints on the hind legs as “knees.” However, anatomically, the femur and tibia are present on all six legs.
So, if someone asks how many knees a bee has, six is a perfectly reasonable answer. That’s a lot of knees for such a tiny creature!
There you have it – another bee controversy that even the experts can’t agree on.
Do Bees Have Kneecaps?
No, bees don’t have kneecaps like humans do. Our kneecap, called the patella, is a bone that protects the knee joint. Bees don’t have bones at all—they have a hard outer exoskeleton.
So, while we commonly call the joint between a bee’s femur and tibia a knee, don’t expect to find a tiny kneecap there. That might be asking a little too much of bee anatomy.
From Anatomy to an Old-Fashioned Expression
People love to use catchy phrases and this one has been around for a long time. When did this term come into use? What were the origins of the phrase?
Sadly, no one knows who was the first person to utter this phrase. It began in the 18th century in the Americas and was used as a prank to describe something that didn’t exist (boy were they wrong).
By the time it came into common use in the 1920’s, the meaning had changed to something positive. This was during a brief time period, when the use of silly slang terms became popular: “the cat’s pajamas”, “cat’s whiskers”, “cat’s meow” or “monkey’s eyebrows”.
FAQs
Bees knees referred to something that was extraordinary or excellent beyond compare. To have this popular bee quote expressed about you was a compliment of the highest sort.
We don’t really know if the phrase began in reference to honey bees. Some believe the colorful balls of pollen hanging on the lower section of worker bee legs were responsible for the term.
Yes, honey bees do have knees. In anatomical terms, the knee is the joint between the femur and tibia. Bees have these joints on all six of their legs.
Bees use their knee joints to bend and flex their legs, which is essential for various activities. They use their legs to walk, climb, and manipulate objects. The hind legs, equipped with pollen baskets, help in collecting and transporting pollen.
Final Thoughts
So, do bees have knees? Yes! The joint between the femur and tibia on each of a bee’s six legs can be considered a knee. They don’t have kneecaps like we do, but these flexible joints help bees walk, climb, gather pollen and perform the many other tasks required for life in the hive.
We could study the honey bee for thousands of years without revealing all of her secrets. Thought-provoking questions such as whether bees sleep and the differences between bees and wasps are good reminders that there is always something new to learn about these fascinating insects.
And the next time someone tells you that you’re “the bee’s knees,” take the compliment. You can even give them a quick lesson in bee anatomy!