Tracheae
Lexikon
The bee's respiratory system. Instead of lungs, fine, air-filled tubes run through the entire body and supply every tissue directly with oxygen, independent of the circulation of the hemolymph.
The bee's respiratory system. Instead of lungs, fine, air-filled tubes run through the entire body and supply every tissue directly with oxygen, independent of the circulation of the hemolymph.
Air enters through openings on the sides of the thorax and abdomen, the spiracles. Enlargements of the system serve as air sacs and make the bee lighter in flight.
Medically the system is significant because the tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) lives in the foremost pair of tracheae, pierces the tracheal wall and damages the airways. There are indications that formic acid, which is evaporated in the hive against the varroa mite, also damages the tracheal mite.