Beekeeping Class – Honeybee Anatomy 101
The basic honeybee anatomy for domestic honeybees is consistent across all common breeds. The bee’s main body consists of three major components: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.
The head has all the parts you would expect: the eyes and the antennae. It also has the proboscis, which is the bee’s long tongue that looks like a straw.
The thorax is the furry middle section of the bee, and it contains the bee’s two pairs of wings. Bees have large forewings and smaller hindwings that lay underneath them. Bees require both pairs to have enough lift to take off. The thorax also has one of the three pairs of legs.
The abdomen of the bee is the bottom and largest part of the bee. It has a harder, shell-like biology. The other two pairs of legs are found here, including the all-important pollen baskets. Bees use these sections on the hindlegs to hold pollen as the bees are out foraging. The stinger is at the bottom of the abdomen on bees that have them.
It is fascinating to learn about beekeeping and how the bees (and their anatomy) help them be an intergral contributor to the beehive. New beekeepers will want to understand these basics of beekeeping as the build their knowlege.
