THE HONEY BEE 



355 



the fleshy projection extending beneath the labrum. It serves as an 

 organ of taste. The jaws or mandibles lie on each side of the labrum, 

 being notched in the queen and drone, and smooth in the worker. 



The labium lies medially and extends downward from beneath the 



labrum and is quite compli- 

 cated. The sub-mentum, which 

 is triangular in shape, joins the 

 labium to the back of the head. 

 The mentum lies next to the 

 sub-mentum. The mentum is 

 chitinous and contains muscle. 

 The tongue, or ligula, lies im- 

 mediately beyond the mentum. 

 The tongue has a spoon-shaped 

 end known as a bouton. A 

 labial palpus lies at each side 

 of the tongue, while tiny hairs, 

 used as organs of taste and 

 touch, as well as for gathering- 

 nectar, are arranged in regular 

 rows upon it. 



The lower jaws or maxil- 

 lae extend over the mentum on 

 both sides. There are stiff hairs 

 on their edges, and maxillary 

 palpi on each side. 



The thorax is divided into 

 prothorax, mesothorax, and 

 metathorax (Fig. 213), the last 

 two divisions each supporting 

 a pair of wings, while hairs, 

 which are used in gathering 

 pollen, cover the outside of the 

 entire thorax. 



The legs of the bee are 

 highly specialized (Fig. 232). 

 The prothoracic legs have both 

 femur and tibia covered with branched hairs which are used in gather- 

 ing pollen. A pollen brush made up of curved bristles is seen at the 

 distal end on one side of the tibia. This brush is used to brush up the 

 pollen which has been loosened by some of the coarser spines. 



On the other side of the tibia, a flat movable spine known as the 

 velum, fits over a curved indentation in the first tarsal joint. The whole 

 structure, brush and velum, is known as the antenna cleaner, while the. 

 row of teeth lining the indentation is called the antenna comb. 



Fig. 232. 



Legs of worker honey-bee. A., outer side of 

 metathoracic leg. p., metatarsus ; t., tarsus ; ti., tibia. 

 B., inner side of metathoracic leg. c., coxa ; p., meta- 

 tarsus ; t., tarsus ; ti., tibia ; tr., trochanter ; wp., 

 wax pinchers. C, prothoracic leg. b., pollen brush ; 

 6., eye brush ; p., metatarsus ; t, tarsus ti, tibia ; v., 

 velum. D., mesothoracic leg ; lettering as in C. s., 

 pollen spur. E., joint of prothoracic leg ; lettering 

 as in C. F., teeth of antenna comb. G., transverse 

 section of tibia through pollen basket, fa., pollen ; 

 h., holding hairs ; n., nerve. H., antenna in process 

 of cleaning, a., antenna ; s., antenna comb ; I., sec- 

 tion of leg; s., scraping edge of v., velum. (From 

 Root, after Cheshire.) 



