TECHNICAL SERIES, No. 18. Brl:;r ~ r1' ,.\,.,~1""1 V,S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTQJ{'E,..";'TrmJOLOGY BUREAU OF· ENTOMOLOGY. 0 L. O. HOWARD, Entomologist and Chief of Burea~UG.'3 1972 . u. S. Department Agricu/ture,- THE ANATOMY OF THE HONEYBEE. BY R. E. SNODGRASS] Agent and E~xpert. ISSUED .MAY 28, 1910. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1910. TECHNICAL SERIES, No. 18. u. S. DEPARTMEN OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY.' L. O. HOWARDs Entomologist and Chief of Bureau. R. E. SNODGRASS, Agent and Expert. ISSUED MAY 28, 1910. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1910. BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. L. o. HOWARD, Entomologist and Ohief of Bureau. C. L. MARLATT, Assistant Entomologist and Acting Ohief in Absence of Ohief. R. S.CLIFTON, Executive Assistant. W. F. TASTET, Ohief Olerk. F. H. CHITTENDEN, in charge of truck crop and stored product insect investigations. A. D. HOPKINS, in charge of forest insect invest'igations. W. D. HUNTER, in charge of southern field crop insect investigations. F. M. WEBSTER, in charge of cereal and-forage insect investigations. A. L. QUAINTANCE, in charge of deciduous fruit insect investigations. E. F. PHILLIPS, in charge of bee culture. D. M. ROGERS, in charge of preventing spread of l1t·oths, field work. ROLLA P. CURRIE, in charge of editorial work. MABEL COLCORD, librarian. INVESTIGATIONS IN BEE CULTURE. E. F. PHILLIPS, vn charge. G. F. WHITE, J. A. NELSON, B. N. GATES, R. E. SNODGRASS, A. H. MCCRAY, agents and experts. ELLEN DASHIELL, preparator. JESSIE E. MARKS, clerk. T. B. SYMONS, collaborator for Maryland. H. A. SURFACE, collaborator for Pennsylvania. J. C. C. PRICE, collaborator for Virginia. 2 ~ .. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. DEPARTJ\iIENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY, Washington, D.O., October 1{), 1909. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript entitled "The Anatomy of the Honey Bee," by Mr. R. E. Snodgrass, agent and expert, of this Bureau. It embodies the results of detailed studies nlade by Mr. Snodgrass and should prove of value as bring­ ing to ~he bee keeper reliable information concerning an insect of such great economic importance, and also as furnishing a sound basis in devising new and improved practical manipulations. I .recommend its publication as Technical Series, No. 18, of the Bureau of Entomology. Respectfully, L. O. HOWARD, Entomologist and Ohief of Bureau. Hon. J AJ\iIES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture. 3 CO NI~ ENTS. Page. I. Introduction _. _. _. _ __ . _.... 9 II. General external structure of insects. __ ... 10 III. The head of the bee and its appendages. .... _. 26 1. The structure of the head. _ _. __ . _. _.. .. ________ 26 2. The antennre and their sense organs. .. __ . ______ 32 3. The mandibles and their glands.... __ . ..... .. _____ 39 4. The proboscis _ .. ___ 43 5. The epipharynx . ._.... .... 51 IV. The thorax and its appendages . __ ._ . _____ 53 1. The structure of the thorax. ...._.. _. __________ 53 2. The wings and their articulation.. __ . ____ 59 3: The legs __ . __ .. __ ._ 66 V. The abdomen, wax glands, and sting.. .. ________________ 69 VI. The alimentary canal and its glands ._.. _. _.. _____________ 84 1. The general physiology of digestion, assimilation, and excretion. 84 2. The salivary glands .. _____________________________ 87 3. The alimen~ary canal _.. __ . __ .. _~ _ 90 VII. The circulatory system __ .. _. __ . _________________ 107 VIII. The respiratory system _. _.. .. _ 112 IX. The fat body and the renocytes.. .. __ 119 X. The nervous system and the eyes. _ __ .. .. __ 122 XI. The reproductive system.. _. _. _. .. ._ 130 1. The male organs __ ..... 132 2. The female organs .. _. __ ._.. ... _ 134 Explanation of the symbols and letters used on the illustrations.. _. 139 Bibliography. _ __ .._.. .. .. _. __________ 148 Index. __ _. _ _. __ _. _ _.. .. .. _... 151 5 ILl., USTRATIO NS. Page. FIG. 1. Median longitudinal section of body of 'vorker _ . 8 2. Diagram o~ generalized insect embryo __ . ~. __ . 12 3. Example of generalized insect mouth parts _ __ ._.. _. _. 17 4. Diagram of generalized thoracic segment _.. 19 5. Typical insect leg _._ _. _. __.. __ . 2] 6. Diagram of generalized insect wing and its articulation _.. _. _. _ 22 7. Diagram of terminal abdominal segments of a female insect and early stage in development of gonapophyses _. .. __ . 25 8. Example of a swordlike ovipositor _ _. .. 25 9.' Head of worker bee .. ._.... .. _. __ .' __ .. _. __ ._ _.. _. _.... _ 27 10. Heads of worker, queen, and drone ._ . 29 11. Median longitudinal sections of heads of worker and drone. _. _.. _ 30 12. Antennal hairs and sense organs . _ _ 36 13. Mandibles of worker and drone. _. _ _. _. _ _. _. __ _. _. 40 14. Internal mandibular gland of worker __ ._.. _. 42 15. Mouth parts of worker . __ . __ _. 43 16. Median section through distal half of mentum and bas3 of ligula of worker. ~ _. __ .. __ .. __ .. _.. 50 17. Epipharynx and labrum of worker _.. __ . __.. _. 51 18. Sense organs of epipharynx _. _. _. _. _ _. _ 52 19. Median longitudinal section of head of ,vorkE~r .. _. __ .. _. _. __ .. __ ._ 52 20. Dorsal view of ventral walls of body of worker.... _. __ .__.. .. 53 21. Thorax of worker __ . __ __ .. 54 22. Lateral view of mesotergum of worker _'. _. __ ._.' _. __ .. 56 23. Thoracic terga of worker __ _. _. _ _ .. .. 57 24. Upper part of left mesopleurum of worker _. _. _ _. 58 25. Wings of Hymenoptera _ _. __ . _. .. _ _. _ 60 26. Basal elements of wings of Hymenoptera _..... __ .. _. _. _. ._ 61 27. Median section through thorax of drone. .. __ . _ 64 28. Internal view of right pleurum of mesothorax of drone.. _. _. _.. _. _... 65 29. Legs of worker, queen, and drone _. _. _. _. _ 67 30. Claws and empodium of foot of worker _. _ _ 68 31 .. Tarsal claws of worker, queen, and drone _. _. _. _ _. _. __ 69 32. Lateral view of abdomen of worker _. __ . 70 33. Ventral view of abdomen of worker . _. _. 70 34. Dorsal view of abdominal sterna of drone _ _ _. __ 70 35. Sixth abdominal sternum of worker, queen, and drone. .:_ .. _ 72 36. Semidiagrammatic view of left side of sting of worker __ . __ .. _... 75 37. Ventral view of sting of worker;. _. .. _ _. _. _ 76 38. Section of small piece of wall of poison sac _. _ . 79 39. Sections of alkaline gland of sting . 79 40. Details of sting of worker.. __ _. _. _ _ _. __ . 81 41. Tip of abdomen of worker with left side removed . 82 6 ILLUSTRATIONS. 7 Page. FIG. 42. Alimentary canal of worker _'" _.. _ _. 85 43. Details of pharyngeal and salivary glands _ _. _. _. 88 44. Honey stomach ot worker, queen, and drone _ _. 94 45. Longitudinal section of honey stomach and proventriculus of queen. 97 46 .. Histological details of alimentary canal of worker _.. _. __ , .. 103 47. Dorsal diaphragm of drone, from one segment _ '.' 108 48. Small part of dorsal diaphragm of drone . 110 49. Pericardial chamber of one segment in worker _ __ . 111 50. Tracheal system of worker _. _. _. 113 51. Tracheal system of worker _.. _.. _. _ _. _ . 117 52. Nervous system of worker _ . 123 53. Brain and subcesophageal ganglion of worker. _,_ ~. ~ . 125 54. Horizontal section of compound eye and optic lobe of worker. : . 127 55. Histological details of compound eye of worker . 128' 56. ReproductivQ organs of drone _ __ . __ __ . _. _.. 133 57. Reproductive organ and sting of queen ___. 135 .ht 2hl \ ill I /~PPh \ i n Md L;} Fro, I,-Longltudlnal, Ol('dian, ,('1'1 iea1 s~ctl(ln of COUI' hody of \\,0..1,('1', <;howinl; nN\'(H1s syRtem (U/. h('al !'~'f\tcm 1-1 (]o ..Rul and v~otl'U1 dlaphl'U~ms of abdomcn ph and VDphl, and dorsal vcssrl consis/in and aorta (.1 rrHE ANATOMY OF THE HONEY BEE. I. INTRODUCTION. The anatomy of the honey bee has been for years a subject of much interest to those· engaged in bee keeping both for pleasure and for profit. This interest is due not only to a laudabie curiosity to know more of ·the bee, but to the necessity of such information in order to understand fully ,vhat takes place in the colony". All practical manipulations of bees must depend on an understanding of the be­ havior and physiology of bees under norlnal and abnormal circum­ stances, and those bee keepers who have advanced bee keeping most by devising better manipulations are those, in general, who kno,," most of bee activity. In turn, a knowledge of bee activity must rest largely on a knowledge of the structure of the adult bee. Studies on the anatomy of the bee have not been lacking, for many good workers have taken up this subject for investigation. The popular demand for such information, ho"rever, has induced untrained men to write on the subject, and most accounts of bee anatomy contain numerous errors. This is probably to a greater extent true of the anatomy of the bee than of that of any other insect. Frequently the illustrations used by men not trained in anatomical work are more artistic than those usually found in papers on insect anatomy, and they consequently bear the superficial marks of careful work, but too often it is found that the details are in­ accurate.