Re the article in Tom Sanford's APIS newsletter, about the search for bees'
ears, by Dr. W. Towne, Kutzdown U., Penn, and W. Kirchner, Germany:
 
For several years, I've wondered about a pair of "windows" on the anterior
ventral curve (sternal area) of the mesothorax, which I noticed while examining
honey bee "thoracic discs" for tracheal mites. Each window is a wedge-shaped
patch where the exoskeleton wall is much thinner, and the large branched hairs
(as on the surrounding body wall) are absent. The patches are about 1 mm on each
side of the centre line, about 0.4 mm long and 0.1 mm wide at the upper, widest
part. They are easy to see in KOH cleared thoracic discs, after muscles are
removed.
 The structures aren't described in Snodgrass' book. It seems like a location
that would be useful for detecting vibrations, especially from a comb surface.
Towne and Kirchner might follow this up, does anyone know how to contact them?
(or know any more about these structures)
 
 
Kerry Clark, Apiculture Specialist
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture
1201 103 Ave
Dawson Creek B.C.
        V1G 4J2  CANADA          Tel (604) 784-2225     fax (604) 784-2299
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