Pollen-Carrying Leg of Honeybee Under the Microscope
Pollen-Carrying Leg of Honeybee (Whole Mount), Apis mellifera
This is the hind leg of a worker honeybee, mounted whole and unstained. It shows the pollen basket and combs bees use to collect and carry pollen back to the hive.
This is a whole mount of the hind leg of a worker honeybee (Apis mellifera), left unstained. The long, flat segment near the middle is the tibia. Its outer side holds the pollen basket, or corbicula, a smooth area framed by long curved hairs. Above it, the wide basitarsus carries neat rows of stiff bristles called pollen combs. The bee uses these combs to brush pollen off its body and pack it into the basket to carry home.
What to look for
- Pollen basket (corbicula): A smooth, slightly hollow area on the outer side of the tibia, framed by long curved hairs.
- Tibia: The wide, flat leg segment holding the pollen basket.
- Basitarsus: The large first foot segment, wide and flat.
- Pollen combs: Rows of stiff bristles on the inner side of the basitarsus used to comb pollen off the body.
- Tarsal claws: Small claws at the tip of the leg.
Questions and answers
What is a pollen basket on a honeybee?
The pollen basket, or corbicula, is a smooth, slightly hollow area on the hind leg surrounded by long curved hairs. Bees pack pollen into it and carry it back to the hive as a small pellet.
How do honeybees collect pollen?
Pollen sticks to the bee's hairy body while it visits flowers. The bee combs the pollen off with bristles on its legs, moistens it with nectar, and presses it into the pollen baskets on its hind legs.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Unstained
Viewing this slide in class
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