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3 Honey Bee Anatomy
Cynthia M. Faux
College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, USA
* Illustrations by Patrick D. Wilson
Introduction
In veterinary school, insects are primarily studied as pests, parasites, and vectors of disease. However, in the honey bee we have both a patient and an agricultural partner. Veterinarians are used to dealing with differences among species, but with the honey bee there are both great similarities and vast contrasts between the bee and the more familiar veterinary patients. A working knowledge of honey bee anatomy and terminology will better equip the veterinarian to understand the clinically relevant physiology and pathologies of the honey bee and to communicate effectively with beekeepers.
Honey bees belong to the order Hymenoptera, a large clade that includes other bees as well as wasps, ants, and sawflies. Among other features, the group is distinguished by having tiny hooklets or “hamuli” on the leading edge of the back or hind wings which serve to secure the hind wings to the front wings so that the wing pairs function as a unit (Snodgrass et al. 2015; Vidal‐Naquet 2015) (Figure 3.6 below).
Being invertebrates, honey bees have a rigid exoskeleton which defines their external shape (Figure 3.2). The bee body consists of three distinct sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. The head comprises the organs one would expect: brain, mouthparts, and sensory organs. All of the locomotory appendages are attached to the thorax and are paired (left and right); they include two pairs of wings (front and hind) and three pairs of legs. The abdomen contains the majority of the gastrointestinal tract and the reproductive organs. In the case of the female honey bee, the abdomen terminates in a sting apparatus.
Three distinct morphologies occur in honey bees: the drone (male), the worker (female), and the queen (female). Drones are distinguished by their rather large, plump contours, and large eyes. They are typically around 19 mm long. Drones do not possess a stinger. The queen's size depends upon if she is mated or not (average size of mated queen is ~20 mm long) and she is identified by her large, long abdomen. Her wings are short relative to her abdomen
