358 General Biology 



of little hooklets on the anterior margin of the hind wing is inserted 

 into a trough-like fold in the posterior margin of the fore wing and thus 

 joins them together. 



The abdomen is made up of six segments, each segment consisting 

 of a tergum or dorsal plate, and sternum or ventral plate. A pair of wax 

 glands is located on each of the four hindermost sternal plates. Both 

 queen and worker possess a sting (Fig. 233) at the end of the abdomen, 

 while the drone possesses a copulatory organ instead. There are also 

 slit-like openings of the reproductive system and an anal opening in 

 queen and worker. 



The sting has a pair of sting feelers by which the bee seems to 

 choose a favorable location for the deposit of the sting. Two barbed 

 darts are then sent out. There is a sheath which guides the darts and 

 aids in conducting the poison. The poison is secreted by a pair of 

 glands, one acid and one alkaline, and it is then stored in a reservoir. 

 It is commonly believed that if a bee stings it dies. This is not neces- 

 sarily true ; but, very often a part of the intestine and the poison glands 

 are pulled out of the body with the sting, and then, of course, the insect 

 cannot live. 



Queens usually do not sting except in combat with other queens. 



INTERNAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 



THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 



Beginning at the anterior end, the digestive system (Fig. 234), is 

 made up of mouth, oesophagus or gullet, honey-sac or honey-stomach, 

 true stomach, small intestine or ileum, and large intestine or colon. 



The oesophagus passes through the thorax and is expanded into a 

 honey-sac at the anterior end of the abdomen. A stomach-mouth with 

 four triangular lips is found at the posterior portion of the honey-sac. 

 A number of bristles extends backward from the top of the lips. If the 

 alimentary canal be placed in a one-half of one per cent salt solution 

 immediately after the bee is killed, these lips will open and close for 

 about thirty minutes. Both circular and longitudinal muscles surround 

 the lips. 



The glands in the walls of the stomach secrete digestive juices which 

 change the food into chyme. Part of this is absorbed and part forced 

 back into the ileum by muscular contractions. Here undigested food is 

 dissolved and also absorbed, while that which is not digested is thrown 

 into the colon, and from there, out of the body. No faeces are deposited 

 in the hive if bees are kept in proper condition. 



Two pairs of salivary glands may be found: one pair within the 

 head lying against the cranium, and one pair in the ventral portion of 

 the anterior half of the thorax. The substances secreted from these 

 glands are weakly alkaline and are poured out upon the labium. Here 

 they act on the food as it is ingested. 



