Discharge and manipulation of labial gland secretion by workers of <i>Apis mellifera</i> (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Simpson, J.; Riedel, Inge B. M.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3032.1964.tb00791.x

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The dynamic surface not only changes its surface configuration by unfolding the glossal hairs, but also elongates the segmented structures along the long axis of the tongue, which can further enhance the volume for nectar feeding. In this way, the tongue of a honey bee could derive the maximum amount of nutrients while being withdrawn, like a sponge that is alternately allowed to expand to take up water and squeezed to expel it (Simpson and Riedel 1964). According to the theoretical analysis, deformation of glossal surface can increase the thickness of adhered nectar through the combined action of viscosity and capillarity, which will benefit the honey bees' feeding efficiency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The close consistency between the erection of glossal hairs and elongation of glossal segments indicates that the glossa of a honey bee is a highly-evolved and subtle mechanism. Driven by the muscles and an elastic glossal rod, the glossa can be elongated and compacted, with the glossal hairs erected and flattened synchronously, and the tiny membrane-structured glossal segments create possibilities for linking these two types of motions together (Simpson and Riedel 1964). The muscles slowly load the spring-like intersegmental membranes producing the erection of glossal hairs and elongation of segments and later the release of potential energy causes the flattening of hairs immediately.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding Kinematics and Nectar Intake of the Honey Bee Tongue

Zhu

Liu

et al. 2016

J Insect Behav

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Most flower-visiting insects employ highly-evolved organs to feed themselves rapidly and efficiently on the floral nectar. A honey bee drives its segmented tongue (glossa) covered by dense hairs reciprocatingly to load nectar. A high-speed camera system ameliorated by a microscope revealed morphological changes in glossal surfaces during live honey bees' nectar dipping and surface configurations through the stretching of postmortem honey bees' glossae. Both the in vivo and postmortem observations reveal that shortening and lengthening of the glossal segments perform high concordance with the erection of glossal hairs, which aids in developing deformable gaps between rows of glossal hairs during nectar trapping. A model was proposed to evaluate the nectar-intake volume considering the experimentally-measured average erection angle and tongue elongation length during nectar feeding. The theoretical results fit the experimental data well and disclose that these two factors contribute to an augmentation of nectar-intake observably. We also theoretically present that the extendible and deformable glossae have advantages for the polylectic feeding behavior.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding Kinematics and Nectar Intake of the Honey Bee Tongue

Zhu

Liu

et al. 2016

J Insect Behav

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“…In the interval, the tube retracts and the remaining nectar is sucked inside [Figs. 3(e)-3(g)]. A key step in acquiring nectar is to erect the hairs to trap water, as confirmed by Snodgrass 11 and Simpson and Riedel, 19 The video by Kim et al 15 shows the erection during the drinking process.…”

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confidence: 97%

Effects of erectable glossal hairs on a honeybee's nectar-drinking strategy

Yang

Yan

2014

Applied Physics Letters

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With the use of a scanning electron microscope, we observe specific microstructures of the mouthpart of the Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica), especially the distribution and dimensions of hairs on its glossa. Considering the erection of glossal hairs for trapping nectar modifies the viscous dipping model in analyzing the drinking strategy of a honeybee. Theoretical estimations of volume intake rates with respect to sucrose solutions of different concentrations agree with experimental data, which indicates that erectable hairs can significantly increase the ability of a bee to acquire nectar efficiently. The comparison with experimental results also indicates that a honeybee may continuously augment its pumping power, rather than keep it constant, to drink nectar with sharply increasing viscosity. Under the modified assumption of increasing working power, we introduce the rate at which working power increases with viscosity and discuss the nature-preferred nectar concentration of 35% by theoretically calculating optimal concentration maximizing energetic intake rates under varying increasing rates. Finally, the ability of the mouthparts of the honeybee to transfer viscous nectar may inspire a concept for transporting microfluidics with a wide range of viscosities.

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“…In long-tongued bees, as in G. soricina, the hair-like projections are dynamic during nectar feeding. In bees, the bristles become erect when the tunic surrounding the tongue is stretched longitudinally during tongue protrusion (20), whereas we found that in G. soricina, the hair-like papillae are actively inflated by blood flow into the papillary veins. Although lapping behavior has not been studied in detail in the honey possum, these mammals also have enlarged blood vessels and a single midline artery in the tongue tip (21,22), suggesting that they may also hemodynamically inflate their lingual papillae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Specialized bat tongue is a hemodynamic nectar mop

Harper

Swartz

Brainerd

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Nectarivorous birds and bats have evolved highly specialized tongues to gather nectar from flowers. Here, we show that a nectar-feeding bat, Glossophaga soricina , uses dynamic erectile papillae to collect nectar. In G. soricina , the tip of the tongue is covered with long filamentous papillae and resembles a brush or mop. During nectar feeding, blood vessels within the tongue tip become engorged with blood and the papillae become erect. Tumescence and papilla erection persist throughout tongue retraction, and nectar, trapped between the rows of erect papillae, is carried into the mouth. The tongue tip does not increase in overall volume as it elongates, suggesting that muscle contraction against the tongue’s fixed volume (i.e., a muscular hydrostat) is primarily responsible for tip elongation, whereas papilla erection is a hydraulic process driven by blood flow. The hydraulic system is embedded within the muscular hydrostat, and, thus, intrinsic muscle contraction may simultaneously increase the length of the tongue and displace blood into the tip. The tongue of G. soricina , together with the tongues of nectar-feeding bees and hummingbirds, which also have dynamic surfaces, could serve as valuable models for developing miniature surgical robots that are both protrusible and have highly dynamic surface configurations.

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Discharge and manipulation of labial gland secretion by workers of Apis mellifera (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Abstract: SYNOPSISAn account is given of the salivation process in Apis mellifera. The mechanisms by which the hairs of the tongue are erected and the ligula retracted, and the action of the salivary pump, are described, and their effect on the discharge of saliva and intake of food are discussed.

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

Feeding Kinematics and Nectar Intake of the Honey Bee Tongue

Feeding Kinematics and Nectar Intake of the Honey Bee Tongue

Effects of erectable glossal hairs on a honeybee's nectar-drinking strategy

Specialized bat tongue is a hemodynamic nectar mop

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