“A Scanning Electron Microscope Atlas of the Honey Bee” by Erickson,
Carlson, and Garment shows some up-close images of honey bee eyes and
interfacetal hairs that are part of the eye itself. The sensory hairs are
reportedly used for perceiving airflow. Mark Winston writes in his “Biology
of the Honey Bee” when the hairs are removed with a tiny scalpel, workers
lose the ability to find their way to accustomed feeding sites under windy
conditions, presumably because they can no longer compensate for wind speed
during flight.
Erickson’s book is out of print. Some copies are still available through
used book sellers on the internet. Also good news for internet surfers is
the fact that the USDA has the entire book posted for viewing on its Carl
Hayden Bee Research Center web site. These are the direct links to images
of bee eyes up close.
http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/beebook/queen/1.4.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/beebook/worker/2.2.htmlhttp://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/beebook/drones/3.2.html
Regards,
Dick Allen