Page 131 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

Harun Yahya 129

emerging from the sacs extend as far as the tissues.
Bees can accelerate the passage of air into their bod-
ies by contracting these sacs, which speeds up the
oxygenation of the tissues. 113

Spiracles
Muscular Structure
Each muscle in the bee’s body consists of differ-
ent numbers of muscle fibers, consisting of longitu- Trachea
dinal cells. To fulfill its functions, every living cell
Air sac
requires energy. The mitochondria provide this for
the cells. In order for bees to be able to move, their
muscles need to have the property of contraction—
a need met by structures known as myofibrils,
found in large quantities in the fluid of the muscle
fibers and which do indeed possess contractibility. The vascular system
consists of breathing
Myofibrils consist of proteins and contain holes that allow air to
strings of large, oval mitochondria. The cytoplasm enter and leave the
worker’s body and
of the muscle fibers fills with glycogen, that the bee
main trachea and air
uses as a store of energy. sacs which carry the
air into and out of the
The myofibrils in bees’ fast-moving wings are
cells.
2.5 to 3 μm (micrometer) across. 114 These minute
structures allow the honeybee to beat its wings 250
times a second. 115 When laden with pollen, a bee can fly at 9 kilometers (5.6
miles) an hour, and 13 kilometers (8 miles) per hour when not laden.
The structure of the muscles allowing the bee to move changes accord-
ing to their area of use. For example, those muscles like the wing muscles
that must move very quickly lack the external membrane of the other
muscles, in order to admit the requisite oxygen. In addition, the bee’s en-
tire body is equipped with tracheal tubes to carry the oxygen that its body
needs. 116

Adnan Oktar