1. Honey bee is a social and colonial insect living in nests or bee hives. It is a polymorphic insect existing in worker, queen and drone. One hive contains 50000 to 80000 contributions.
2. It is a cosmopolitan.
3. Commonly called as honey bee.
4. Body divisible into head, thorax and abdomen in all cases.
5. Queen is the largest and fertile. Worker is the smallest-head triangular containing compound eyes in dorsolateral position and many jointed antennae besides ocelli.
6. Clypeus, labrum and other mouth parts visible in lateral position. Mouth parts are rasping and lapping type.
7. Thorax is divided into prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax; each containing a pair of legs. Prothotracic leg contains eye brush, velum or fibula, antennae comb and pollen brush. Mesothoracic leg contains spur, pollen brush and pulvillus. Metathocic leg contains pollen basket, pollen comb. Thorax contains a pair of wings.
8. Abdomen has 6 segments. Last segment contains sting. Ventral surface of last four segments contain wax plates and wax glands. Spiracles are found over abdomen.
9. Workers act as repairers, store keepers, cleaners, nectar collectors and defenders.
10. Drones are male members. They fertilize the eggs laid by the queen. They do not do any work.
Source:
1. Practical Zoology Invertebrates by S.S.Lal. 2. A Manual of Practical Zoology Chordates by Dr. P.S. Verma.
