Three Types of Bee in Each Colony
Worker bees (bottom, left), of which there are thousands, far outnumber the single queen (center) and hundreds of drones (top) that belong to one hive. When foraging, worker bees suck water and nectar through the movable, flexible tubes of their mouthparts and use their jaws for grasping wax and pollen. Bees have three simple eyes on the tops of their heads and one large compound eye on either side. Their two sets of wings attach by a row of tiny hooks lining one edge of the front pair. Only the queen, detailed here, shows ovarian development. She secretes several pheromones, one of which eliminates potential rivals by inhibiting reproductive development in other females. ßíäåêñ.Ìåòðèêà