REPRESENTATIVE INSECTS 



357 



grubs." The adults come forth in great numbers in May or June 

 and live from one to two weeks, feeding upon the foliage of many 

 plants. 



THE HONEY BEE 



The honey bee belongs to the order Hymenoptera, composed of 

 insects with two pair of membranous wings, well-developed biting 

 or sucking mouth parts, and the females usually with a stinging 

 organ. Many of the Hymenoptera, such as the honey bee, live a 

 social life, developing colonies consisting of three types of bees: a 

 queen, drones, and workers. 



The worker bee is provided with large compound eyes on the 

 sides of the head and three small ocelli near the median part of the 

 frons. The antennae are attached to the anterior surface of the head. 



The mouth parts are adapted for both sucking up nectar and chew- 

 ing. The lahrum is attached to the lower edge of the chjpeus. A 

 little organ, the epipharynx, is just below the upper lip. The man- 

 dibles are attached to the ends of the labrum and lie over it. Beneath 

 the mandibles is the proboscis made up of several separate structures : 

 (1) the glossa or long tongue; (2) the laMal palps; and (3) the 

 maxillae, lateral to the labial palps. The maxillae and labial palps 

 are used in sucking the nectar from the flowers. 



The thorax is divided into the prothorax, mesotlwrax, and meta- 

 thorax. Each segment bears a pair of legs. The wings are borne 

 upon the mesothorax and metathorax. The legs are very well adapted 

 for the work of the hive. The first pair of legs are provided with 

 hairs adapted for various uses. On the tibia are the curved bristles, 

 known as the pollen Irush, and the large spinelike structure, the 

 velum, which is associated with the antenna comb. The metathoracic 

 legs have the tibia modified to form a pollen basket. There are also 

 modified spines and structures on the last pair of legs known as the 

 pecten, auricle, and pollen combs. The modifications found in the 

 legs of the bee are remarkable adaptations for the specialized life of 

 this insect. 



The abdomen is composed of six external segments consisting of a 

 dorsal tergum and a ventral sternum. At the end of the abdomen 

 is a highly specialized organ, the sting. Associated with the sting 

 are the poison glands, which secrete a substance composed of an acid 

 and an alkali. 



