The honeybee, though small in size, is a complex creature. This is an insect perfectly adapted to its environment, enabling it to perform a service for other living things in a delicately balanced give and take that has evolved over millions of years. The different parts of the anatomy of the bee each serve this relationship well and will stunning efficiency.
Antennae
The antennae of the honeybee are used for odor detection. This detection alerts the bee to the location of plants filled with pollen. Antennae are also used to enable the bee to land on any surface in a smooth, stable manner. Communication with other bees is conducted though the antennae as well. Interestingly, honeybees rely solely on the right antennae to communicate.
The favoritism shown toward the right antennae is a mystery to scientists. Studies have been done that
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The mouthparts consist of a tongue and other complicated organs that collect nectar from flowers. The mandibles of the worker bee differs from the queen and her drones. The queen and drones have pointed mandibles that aid in cutting and biting, but worker bees' mandibles are smoothed to make their production of wax from their mouth an easy task.
Proboscis
The proboscis is another name for the tongue of a bee. It is similar to humans in that it is soft and can be extended. Relative to the size of the average honeybee, the tongue is long, but this is necessary for it to be able to reach the center of a flower to suck up its nectar. The proboscis is also used to clean their fur like a housecat, or to groom one another, especially the queen.
Wings
The wings of the honeybee can hurtle the insect through the air at 15 miles per hour. This speed is achieved by the fast pulsating muscles located in the thorax. In fact, the bees have a range of up to 3 miles from their hive, allowing them to expand their area of pollination.