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Permanent/ Temporary Mount of Antennae Cleaner, Mid Leg and Pollen Basket

The document provides instructions for dissecting and mounting the legs of a honey bee worker to observe its structures under a microscope. It describes macerating, dehydrating, and mounting the legs. It then details the individual segments that make up each leg - coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, and tarsus claw. Specific structures on the foreleg, middle leg, and hind leg that aid in tasks like antennae cleaning, pollen collection, and wax removal are also outlined. These specialized structures allow bees to efficiently carry out their roles in the hive.

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Chirag Education
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139 views16 pages

Permanent/ Temporary Mount of Antennae Cleaner, Mid Leg and Pollen Basket

The document provides instructions for dissecting and mounting the legs of a honey bee worker to observe its structures under a microscope. It describes macerating, dehydrating, and mounting the legs. It then details the individual segments that make up each leg - coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, and tarsus claw. Specific structures on the foreleg, middle leg, and hind leg that aid in tasks like antennae cleaning, pollen collection, and wax removal are also outlined. These specialized structures allow bees to efficiently carry out their roles in the hive.

Uploaded by

Chirag Education
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Permanent/ Temporary mount of

Antennae cleaner, mid leg and pollen basket


MATERIAL REQUIRED

Compound microscope
Potassium hydroxide (Caustic soda)/NaOH
Test tube, Test tube holder
Bunsen burner, Petri dishes/Watch glass
Dissecting needles Forceps (small)
Absolute alcohol
Clove oil/xylol Canada Balsam/Glyerine
Microslides
Cover glass
Honey bee worker(Female)
STEPS
Maceration

 Require when you want to preserve/observe specific parts of the insects/whole


specimen preservation. The aim of maceration is to eliminate external secretions,
foreign matter, some organs, muscles, and fat bodies without damage to chitinous
parts
 This is accomplished by immersing the specimen in a suitable agent, such as a
sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, lactic acid, or lactophenol or potassium
hydroxide (KOH)
 10-20 % KOH (pH between 12.5 and 12.8) boiling for minutes or storing overnight
 Neutralize the specimens in 99% acetic acid (5-10 minutes) and dehydrate them in
ethanol before mounting
Dehydration
 Specimens should be dehyrated in alcohol or cellosolve

 The length of time depends on the specimens, but 10-20 minutes is usually
sufficient

 Dehydrate by gradual ethanol 70%, 80%, 90% and then absolute alcohol or clear
in olive oil
Mounting
 Transfer the leg with the help of a dissecting needle to a drop of
glycerine/Canada balsam/Euparal on a glass slide

 Glass slide like cavity slide (2.5- by 7.5- cm ) is used for preserving specimens for
longer duration

 Put the coverslip

 Apply gentle pressure on coverglass with a needle to spread out

 Followed by observation of mosquito mouth-parts under microscope


Observation
 Foreleg, middle leg and hind leg

 Observe these under light microscope in the record notebook

 Label and describe


 There are three pairs of legs which are densely covered with hairs.
 The legs of the honeybee are far more than simply structures to walk on.
 They are highly specialized manipulative organs that enable the bee to carry out many of her tasks
Each leg consists of parts
Coxa
Trochanter
Femur
Tibia
Metatarsus
Tarsus and
Tarsus claw
Each leg consists of parts

Coxa: First segment of an insect leg.


Trochanter: Second segment of an insect leg.
Femur: Third segment of an insect leg.
Tibia: the tibia of the hind leg holds the pollen basket, where pollen is carried.
Metatarsus: the metatarsus of the hind leg holds special pollen collecting tools.
Tarsus: The last segment of the leg and what touches the walking surface
Tarsus Claw: Claw found on the last segment of the leg
Honey Bee: Legs- Prethoracic, Mesothoracic and Metathoracic

Foreleg (outer surface) middle leg (outer surface) hind leg (inner surface)
Antennae Cleaners:
 Notches filled with stiff hairs that help bees clean their antennae
 Row of stiff bristles on tibia forming an eye brush for cleaning the compound eyes
 At the distal end of tibia is a movable spine, the velum which can close over a notch on
the tarsus to form an antenna comb through which the antenna is drawn for cleaning
 Long bristles on the tarsus form a pollen brush for removing pollen from the front part
of the body
Mesothoracic leg has a pollen brush on the tarsus,
the end of the tibia has a spur like a spine for
removing pollen from the pollen basket and wax
from abdomen.
Metathoracic A pollen basket (corbicula) on
the outer surface of the tibia

The pecten and auricle at the


end of tibia form a wax pincher
for removing wax from the
abdomen of workers.
Pollen basket
It is an arrangement of hairs found on the tibia of the hind legs
The bees collect pollen and, having moistened it with saliva
using their tongues, they transfer it to their hind legs and pack
it into the pollen basket.

Ultrabithorax, or Ubx., the gene allows workers to develop a


smooth spot on their hind legs that hosts their pollen baskets.
The gene is more highly expressed in hind legs compared to
front and mid legs.
Metathoracic: Pollen packer/Pollen Press
 At the joint between the tibia and the first tarsal segment
 It consist of stiff spine (rakes), and anvil-shaped auricle
 Used to remove pollen from the pollen brush of opposite leg
 The pollen is squeezed through the joint and up to pollen basket
The outer surface of the tarsus has a pollen brush and the inner surface has a
pollen comb having rows of stiff spines
This pollen brush collects pollen from the pollen brushes on the mesothoracic legs.
The pollen comb removes pollen from the body and fills it in the pollen basket.

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