The body of a bee consists of three main parts: head, thorax and abdomen.
The bee’s head is equipped with compound eyes, consisting of thousands of little eyes, allowing the insect to see in many directions at once.
There are also antennae on the head which allow the bee to detect chemicals and which also provide aid in communication with other bees.The thorax consists of three segments and six legs, each of which consists of five parts. Bees also have two pairs of wings. Additionally, many bee species have developed special adaptive characteristics, such as combs on their legs, which enable them to collect pollen and nectar.
Last but not least, the abdomen is the largest part of the bee’s body – it consists of several segments. There is a digestive organ inside the abdomen that enables bees to digest pollen and nectar. The anus of the bee is featured with special organs that enable it to excrete the water and nectar it collects.
Bees are also equipped with characteristic glands, such as wax glands, which enable them to build a wax comb, and venom glands, thanks to which the bees can defend themselves against predators. Moreover, honey bees have a stinger used for self-defence purposes as well.
In order to consolidate the knowledge about the composition of a bee’s body, together with the children, you can create cute little bees using cardboard and yarn.
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Capturing the image of a bee; practising manual skills.
Materials needed
- infographic (appendix 2.1)
- cardboard
- popsicle sticks or sushi sticks
- yellow and black (alternatively dark brown) yarn
- white paper or newspaper
- template (appendix 2.2)
Instructions
- Outline the previously printed template of the bee’s body on the cardboard and cut out the body;
- Make small incisions on the edges of the trunk to a depth of about 5 mm, then wrap the body alternately with two colours of yarn;
- Outline the wings from the template and glue them to the body;
- Attach the eyes.
This post was created as part of a project co-financed by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt in cooperation with Naturschutzzentrum Oberlausitzer Bergland.
