Bees do not possess pincers, which are the large, grasping claws found on creatures like crabs or scorpions. The confusion likely stems from their dual-purpose mouthparts and their well-known defensive organ. Bees have complex anatomy that includes a pair of powerful jaws for manipulating objects and a separate, specialized structure for feeding. The stinger is not a pincer but a needle-like instrument used solely for defense. Understanding these separate structures clarifies the specialized functions bees perform for their survival.
The Bee’s Jaws: Mandibles
The structures closest to jaws or pincers on a bee’s head are its mandibles, which are a pair of strong, hinged appendages. Unlike the up-and-down chewing motion of a human jaw, these mandibles swing inward and outward, similar to the blades of a pair of scissors. They are not used for consuming liquid food, but they are crucial for a wide variety of tasks both inside and outside the hive.
Worker bees use their mandibles for intricate nest construction and maintenance. They scrape, cut, and polish the hexagonal wax cells that make up the honeycomb structure. Worker bees secrete wax flakes from their abdomen, and they use their mandibles to chew and manipulate this wax, mixing it with saliva to make it pliable for building. The mandibles act as cutters, pliers, and calipers, allowing the bee to construct the complex, interlocking cells.
Mandibles also serve functions for hive hygiene and defense. Workers use them to remove debris from cells, clean other bees, and remove intruders or pests, such as wax moth larvae. The queen bee’s mandibles are particularly sharp and are used to saw her way out of her queen cell upon emergence. They also stabilize the proboscis, holding the delicate feeding tube in place when extended.
How Bees Use Their Mouthparts to Eat
The bee’s feeding mechanism is entirely separate from its mandibles and is designed for ingesting liquids. This feeding tube is called the proboscis, a long, flexible structure that is tucked away beneath the head when not in use. The proboscis is a complex organ formed from several mouthpart components, including the maxillae and labium, which together create a straw-like channel for liquid intake.
When a bee feeds on nectar, it extends this apparatus deep into a flower’s nectary. Honeybees switch between two distinct feeding modes: lapping and sucking. Lapping involves rapidly dipping the hairy tongue, or glossa, into the liquid to collect the nectar. This process works well for highly concentrated, viscous nectar.
The bee can also use active suction, forming a sealed tube with its mouthparts to draw liquid upward like a straw, a method more efficient for low-viscosity nectar. This ability to switch strategies, known as facultative feeding, allows the bee to efficiently gather food from a wider range of flowers with varying nectar concentrations. The collected nectar is then stored in a specialized organ called the honey crop, or honey stomach, before being transported back to the hive.
Primary Defense Mechanism: The Stinger
The bee’s primary defensive tool is the stinger, located at the rear of the abdomen. This structure is not a jaw or pincer, but an adaptation of the female insect’s ovipositor, the organ used by other insects to lay eggs. In worker bees, the ovipositor evolved into a purely defensive weapon, losing its egg-laying function.
The stinger apparatus consists of a sharp shaft, or stylet, and two paired, barbed lancets, all working together to penetrate the skin. When a honeybee stings a mammal, the backward-facing barbs anchor the stinger firmly in the victim’s flesh. As the bee attempts to pull away, the entire apparatus, including the venom sac and parts of the abdomen, is ripped from its body, leading to the bee’s death.
This detached stinger continues to pump venom, known as apitoxin, into the wound for up to a minute, driven by muscular contractions. While the honeybee worker stinger is barbed and single-use, other species like bumblebees and the queen honeybee have smoother stingers. This difference in structure allows them to sting multiple times without causing fatal injury to themselves.