Honeybee Background
Honeybees are a member of the genus Apis, and are the most important bee to humans, They are primarily distinguished for the production and storage of honey. Only seven species of honeybees are recognized, and they represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees. The species of honeybee can commonly be found today in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas [4].
Honeybees are a member of the genus Apis, and are the most important bee to humans, They are primarily distinguished for the production and storage of honey. Only seven species of honeybees are recognized, and they represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees. The species of honeybee can commonly be found today in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas [4].
Honeybee Bosy Structure
The honeybee body is composed of 3 segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head part consist of a pair of L shaped antennae that stick out the front of the head, the antennae are covered with sensory cells for touch and smell. They have compound eyes, and a tube like tongue to eat used to eat and drink [5].
The thorax consist of six jointed legs and a four wings. The structure of the wings give bees exceptional flying ability and agility [5].
The abdomen consist of several rings and the of course the stinger. Wax glands are located under the abdominal [5].
Honeybee Life Cycle
The Honeybee has four stages of development, which they start off as an egg laid by the queens in the honeycomb, the egg then becomes a larva. During this stage the larva is fed royal jelly, and beebread by the worker bees. After that comes the pupa stage, here the body structure forms and the larva transforms into an adult bee. Once the honey bee reach adulthood, the adult bee bites its way out of the cell of the honeycomb. After she is born the newly bee will perform several duties in the hive, when they turn 22 days old the bee becomes a "field bee". Field bees leave the hive to visit flowers. Bees can live as long as 5 weeks to 5 months depending on the season [6].
The honeybee body is composed of 3 segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head part consist of a pair of L shaped antennae that stick out the front of the head, the antennae are covered with sensory cells for touch and smell. They have compound eyes, and a tube like tongue to eat used to eat and drink [5].
The thorax consist of six jointed legs and a four wings. The structure of the wings give bees exceptional flying ability and agility [5].
The abdomen consist of several rings and the of course the stinger. Wax glands are located under the abdominal [5].
Honeybee Life Cycle
The Honeybee has four stages of development, which they start off as an egg laid by the queens in the honeycomb, the egg then becomes a larva. During this stage the larva is fed royal jelly, and beebread by the worker bees. After that comes the pupa stage, here the body structure forms and the larva transforms into an adult bee. Once the honey bee reach adulthood, the adult bee bites its way out of the cell of the honeycomb. After she is born the newly bee will perform several duties in the hive, when they turn 22 days old the bee becomes a "field bee". Field bees leave the hive to visit flowers. Bees can live as long as 5 weeks to 5 months depending on the season [6].