Honeybee Antenna Under the Microscope
Honeybee Antenna (Whole Mount), Apis mellifera
This is a honeybee antenna mounted whole and unstained. It shows the elbowed antenna shape that bees and ants share, and the segments that carry thousands of tiny smell sensors.
This whole mount shows a honeybee (Apis mellifera) antenna, unstained, in its natural brown color. It has three main parts: a long scape at the base, a short pedicel at the bend, and the flagellum, a chain of short segments. The sharp bend between the scape and the flagellum is why it is called an elbowed antenna. Tiny pits and hairs on the flagellum are sensilla, small sense organs. Bees use them to smell flowers, recognize hive mates and feel their way inside the dark hive.
What to look for
- Scape: The long first segment at the base of the antenna.
- Pedicel: A short segment at the elbow, where the antenna bends.
- Flagellum: The long outer part made of many short segments.
- Sensilla: Tiny hairs, pegs, and plates on the flagellum that detect smells and touch.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a honeybee antenna?
A honeybee antenna has three main parts: the long scape at the base, the small pedicel at the bend, and the flagellum, a chain of short segments. The bend between the scape and flagellum is why it is called an elbowed antenna.
What do honeybees use their antennae for?
Honeybees use their antennae to smell flowers, recognize nestmates, and sense touch, temperature, and humidity inside the hive.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Unstained
Viewing this slide in class
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