Honeybee Wing Under the Microscope
Honeybee Wing (Whole Mount), Apis mellifera
This slide shows honeybee wings mounted whole and unstained. The vein pattern is used to identify bees, and the wings show how insects with two pairs of wings can hook them together in flight.
A whole mount (W.M.) preparation of a honeybee wing (labeled Honeybee Wings W.M.). The slide demonstrates the membranous hymenopteran wing structure showing distinct sclerotized venation patterns, submarginal cells, and microscopic microtrichia covering the clear membrane.
What to look for
- Wing membrane: The clear sheet of the wing.
- Veins: Brown, hardened lines that support the membrane.
- Cells: Closed areas of membrane surrounded by veins, in a pattern used to identify bee species.
- Hamuli: A row of tiny hooks on the front edge of the hind wing that lock it to the forewing, if the hind wing is included.
- Microtrichia: Tiny hairs covering the membrane, visible at high power.
At each magnification
Low power (about 4x)
The wing outline and the main vein pattern.
Medium power (about 10x)
The shape of the cells between veins.
High power (about 40x)
The tiny hairs on the membrane and, on the hind wing, the hooks along its front edge.
Questions and answers
How do honeybee wings work together?
Honeybees have two pairs of wings. A row of tiny hooks called hamuli on the front edge of each hind wing catches a fold on the forewing, so both wings on each side flap as one surface.
What does a bee wing look like under a microscope?
A bee wing is a clear membrane with a pattern of brown veins that form closed cells. At higher magnification, you can see tiny hairs covering the whole surface.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Unstained
- Tags
- Honeybee wings w.m., Honeybee Wing W.M., Honeybee wing whole mount, Honeybee wing, Apis mellifera, Honeybee
Viewing this slide in class
This is a scan of a real prepared slide, not a simulation or a drawing. On StudyScope you can pan from the whole slide down to individual structures, always in focus, and measure them in real micrometers with the calibrated ruler. Present it live and every student screen follows your view and annotations. Students join with a room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, with no accounts.