Body Covering, Vision, and Photoreception

Body Covering, Vision, and Photoreception#

1 . What is the hard outer body covering in the honey bee called and what is the material it is made of?

Exoskeleton is made of chitin which is a fibrous material made of polysaccharides. The bee does not have bones like mammals. The exoskeleton serves as its “bones”. Muscles, connective tissue, and all body parts are supported by the exoskeleton.

2 . The honey bee has generous branced body hair covering the exoskeleton. What are they called?

Plumose hairs

3 . What is the function of these hairs in the previous question?

  1. They perform mainly sensory functions

  2. Enable the bee to collect and transport pollen

  3. Help protect the bee

  4. Regulate body temperature

  5. Keeps the exoskeleton free of debris and dirt

  6. Helps to detect gravity - transforming the sun angle to a gravity angle in bee dancing within their dark hive.

4 . In addition to their compound eyes, honey bees have 3 ocelli located on the top of their head. What is the probable function of these ocelli?

Ocelli are not used to “see” since they are not connected to a nerve area. They are simple eyes, and are used to detect light intensity.

5 . Describe the bees compound eyes.

Two large compound eyes located on the side of the head allow bees to see patterns, objects, UV light, movement and colors. Worker eyes have approximately 6,900 facets, which cover the outer surface. Each of these hexagonal units are called ommatidia. The ommatidia contain photoreceptors which aid in the bees ability to see. Bees “see” by assembling and interpreting the mosaic of these 6,900 facets.

6 . How are the bees’ photoreceptors different from humans?

Humans have 3 photoreceptors (cone cells) and can see blue, green and red. Bees also have 3 photoreceptors but see blue, green and ultraviolet. Bees vision shifts toward the ultraviolet range.

7 . What is the difference between a worker bee eye and that of a drone?

Drone eyes are larger in relation to the head and touch in the middle and they have 8,600 facets.

8 . Describe the anatomy of the antenna:

  1. Consists of multiple segments

  2. The first segment is the longest and most flexible- the scape

  3. The pedicel is a flexible elbow joint

  4. Flagellum is where the magic happens – covered in hairs, pits, pore plates and other sensory structures that perceive odorant stimuli and location (3,000 in queens, 3,600 in workers, 30,000 in drones).