ANIMALS WITH JOINTED FEET-THE ARTHROPODS 233 



subcsophaqeal qanqlion , ^ , 



"^ ^ ^ ' honey storwocn 



digestive stomach 



r^olpigbian tubules 



onherior thoracic 

 gang I ion 



jostenor thoracic 

 30091100 



rectal glands, 

 bind guf 



digestive and nervous s/stems of the honey bee 



Fig. 11-28. Side view showing some of the internal anatomy of the bee. 



wound made by the darts. This substance 

 causes much of the pain and swelHng asso- 

 ciated with the sting of the bee. Once a 

 worker stings, its darts become firmly fixed 

 in the skin of the recipient so that the entire 

 apparatus and sometimes other internal or- 

 gans are torn out when the bee leaves. A 

 day or two later this results in the death of 

 the bee. Queens use their sting in battle 

 with other queens, but are able to use it 

 over and over again without the injury 

 which results to workers. 



The diet of the bee consists chiefly of 

 nectar from flowers, which is essentially a 

 solution of sugar. Although the mouth parts 

 noted in the grasshopper are also found in 

 the bee, they are greatly modified for suck- 

 ing liquids (Fig. 11-27). The mandibles are 

 much like those of a grasshopper and are 

 used in wax manipulation and comb-build- 

 ing. The maxillae and labium, together 

 with their palps, however, are extended and 

 grooved on the inside so that when they are 

 brought together they form a tube or pro- 



boscis. The greatly elongated tongue (hy- 

 popharynx ) , which lies in the groove made 

 by these mouth parts, acts as a pump. When 

 the bee feeds on colored honey it is pos- 

 sible to observe the food make its way along 

 the tongue with considerable speed until 

 it disappears in the mouth, thence moves 

 to the honey stomach, which is a crop for 

 storage (Fig. 11-28). Between the crop and 

 the true stomach is a small valve, controlled 

 by the bee, which makes it possible for 

 the bee to take as much nectar as it needs 

 for use in its own digestive tract. The rest 

 is regurgitated into a wax cell in the hive 

 for storage as honey. 



The nectar undergoes chemical change 

 while in the crop. The most significant dif- 

 ference noted is a reduction from tlie di- 

 saccharide, sucrose, to the monosaccharide, 

 glucose, and the possible addition of other 

 substances in small quantities. This watery 

 substance is placed in the open comb cells 

 of the hive, and allowed to undergo evap- 

 oration to remove a large portion of the 



