- Honeybees have a distinct, rounded body shape with three main body segments: head, thorax, and abdomen.
Head:
- Honeybee heads are round, with large eyes that wrap around the sides.
- They have two compound eyes, which provide a wide field of vision, and three simple eyes (ocelli) on top of their heads for light detection and orientation.
- Honeybees possess antennae, which are essential sensory organs for various functions such as smelling, tasting, and touching.
Thorax:
- The thorax is the middle section of the honeybee's body and is where their wings and legs attach.
- Honeybees have two pairs of wings, one larger pair on the front and a smaller pair on the back.
- The wings are flexible and move rapidly, allowing honeybees to fly efficiently.
- There are three pairs of legs attached to the thorax, each leg with multiple segments and jointed parts for crawling, walking, perching, and collecting pollen.
Abdomen:
- The abdomen is the rear part of the honeybee's body and contains important internal organs such as the digestive system and the honey stomach, where nectar is stored during foraging.
- The tip of the abdomen in worker bees houses a stinger, which is a defensive tool used for protection against predators. In queen bees, the stinger is modified for laying eggs.
Honeybees also have various body hairs and structures that aid in their survival, such as pollen baskets on their hind legs for carrying pollen and wax glands for producing beeswax, which is used in constructing their honeycomb structures and cells within the hive.