Page 130 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

Thorax
Head Abdomen

Antenna
Wings

Sting

Tarsus
Pollen basket

Legs

Thorax
The Bee’s Exoskeleton

Like other insects, bees have an ex-
Sting
ternal skeleton consisting of a hard
jointed shell, formed of a layer
known as chitin. These layers Pollen
have been created to be hard basket
enough to form the external
skeleton structure. 112
Other substances in the Proboscis
skeleton are water, protein and
fat.

The Respiratory System
The bee’s respiratory system,
known as the “tracheal system,”
begins with external respiratory
openings, or namely spiracles,
and is then divided up into branches in such a way as to reach every organ
in the bee’s body. The trachea arms widen to form air sacs that are large al-
beit few in number, and used to store air. The small branches and tubes