How to extract the bee nectar from flowers

3 years ago
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The mouthparts of a honey bee are made up of mandibles and a proboscis, or tongue. When the worker visits a flower, she brings forward the proboscis which is normally tucked under her "chin" and inserts it into the part of the flower where the nectar is. When she locates nectar, the bee sucks until she has extracted all that is within her reach. The nectar is stored in a honey sac, a second stomach, until she returns to the hive. The nectar load is transferred to worker bees in the hive who suck the nectar from the honey sac through their proboscis. They work the nectar, adding enzymes, until it is suitable for storing in a cell of the honeycomb. Sources: Winston, Mark L. The Biology of the Honey Bee.1987 Sammarato, Diana and Alphonse Avitabile.

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