Читать книгу Honey Bee Medicine for the Veterinary Practitioner - Группа авторов - Страница 60

Honey bees have two pairs of wings: front and hind, left and right. As mentioned above, on each side of the thorax the front and hind wings are held together with tiny hooklets on the leading edge of the hind wing that catch on the caudal edge of the front wing. In this way, the front and hind wings function as a unit in flight (Figure 3.6).

The wings are powered by muscles within the thorax which act to compress or expand the shape of the thorax, and thus raise and lower the wings. Although the flight mechanism is relatively simple, the honey bee has great maneuverability, being able to hover and to fly forward, backward, and sideways.

Deformed wings may be observed in hives affected by deformed wing virus, so it behooves the veterinarian to make note of the wing structure of any honey bees on a frame, as bees with this condition may be unable to fly.

Figure 3.6 Wing hooklets, greatly magnified.

Source: Photo courtesy of Jamie Perkins.