40 
ANATOMY OP THE BEE 
(Ob and Tri). The fingerlike lobes, called 
the palpi of the sting (StnPlp ) are carried 
also by the lower of these two plates (Ob) 
while the upper (Tri) carries the third and 
largest plate (Qd) whirl) partially overlaps 
the lower (Ob). 
A close examination of the sting proper 
shows that both the bulb and the tapering 
shaft are formed of three pieces. One is 
dorsal (ShB and ShS) while the other two 
(Let) are ventral (of course only one of 
the latter shows in side view). Further¬ 
more, the basal arm on each side is formed 
of two pieces, one of which (ShA) is con¬ 
tinuous with the dorsal piece of the sting, 
while the other (Let) is continuous with 
the ventral rod of the same side. Since 
these ventral rods are partially enclosed 
within a hollow on the under side of the 
dorsal piece, the latter is called the sheath 
of the sting. It consists of the terminal 
shaft of the sheath (ShS), the bulb (ShB), 
and of a basal arm, (ShA) on each side. 
The ventral pieces (Let) are slender sharp- 
pointed rods having barbed extremities, 
and ai'e known as the lancets. The shaft of 
the sheath is grooved along the entire 
length of its ventral surface, the groove en¬ 
larging into a spacious cavity in the bulb. 
The lancets lie close together against the 
ventral edges of the sheath, but slide freely 
upon minute tracks on the latter. The three 
parts, therefore, inclose between them a 
cavity which is tubular in the shaft, but 
enlarged into a wide chamber in the bulb. 
The great poison-sac (Fig. 8, PsnSe) of 
the acid glands of the sting opens into the 
base of the bulb along with the smaller 
tubular alkaline gland (BOl). By move¬ 
ments of the triangular plates (Fig. 5, Tri) 
the lancets slide back and forth against the 
sheath while the poison exudes in tiny 
drops from an opening between them near 
the tips. The poison-sac has no muscles in. 
its walls, and, hence, cannot force the poi¬ 
son thru the sting. The poison, in fact, 
is driven out of the latter by a force pump 
inside of the bulb. This consists of. two 
pouchlike lobes situated on the upper 
edges of the lancets, having their cavities 
open posteriorly. When the lancets move 
forward the walls of these pouches col¬ 
lapse; but when the motion is reversed they 
flare apart and drive the poison contained 
in the bulb back thru the shaft and out at 
the end. 
The poison is an acid liquid formed by 
the glands (Fig. 8, AGl, AGl, and BGl). 
Two of these (AGl and AGl) are simply 
small enlargements at the ends of two long 
coiled tubes (AGIO), which latter unite 
into a short single tube that opens into the 
anterior end of the great poison-sac (Psn 
Sc). The secretion of these glands is acid. 
The third gland (BGl) is a short, somewhat 
twisted tube opening into the bulb of the 
sting along with the poison-sac. Its secre¬ 
tion is alkaline. Carlet has shown that it 
is only the mixture of these two secretions 
that has the full strength in stinging prop¬ 
erties. 
The alimentary canal (Fig.6) consists of 
a tube extending thru the entire body, and 
coiled somewhat in the abdomen. The first 
part above the mouth in the head is wid¬ 
ened to form the pharynx (Phy). Then 
follows the long slender oesophagus ((E). 
running clear thru the thorax and into the 
front of the abdomen, where it enlarges 
into a thin-walled bag, called, in general, 
the crop , but which is known as the lioney- 
stomach (IIS) in the bee. Back of the 
honey-stomach is a short narrow proven- 
triculns (Pvent ), which is followed by the 
large U-shaped stomach, or ventriculus 
(Vent). Then comes the slender small in¬ 
testine (Sint) with a circle of Malpigh¬ 
ian tubules (Mai) arising from its anterior 
end. Finally, forming the terminal part of 
the alimentary canal, is the large intestine, 
or rectum (Beet), consisting of an enor¬ 
mous sac, varying in size according to its 
contents, but often occupying a large part 
of the abdominal cavity. Six opaque lon¬ 
gitudinal bands on its anterior end are 
known as the rectal gland (BGl). 
The honey-stomach is of special interest 
in the worker because the nectar gathered 
from the flowers is held in it, instead of 
being swallowed on down into the stomach, 
and is regurgitated into the cells of the 
Comb, or given up first to another bee in 
the hive. The upper end of the proventri- 
culus sticks up into the lower end of the 
honey-stomach as a small cone with an 
X-shaped opening in its summit. This 
opening is called the stomach mouth. Its 
four lips are very active, and take what¬ 
ever food the ventriculus requires from 
