Honey trap
CALIFORNIA, USA
What a sweet shot! Developing
worker honeybees nestle
inside the individual wax
cells that make up the insects’
honeycomb.
As bees develop, they
undergo holometabolous
metamorphosis – a lifecycle
that includes four stages:
egg, larva, pupa and adult.
In this photograph,
protective wax caps put
in place by worker bees
have been removed, revealing
the pupae just days before
they are ready to emerge
as fully grown adults.
“These bees are pale because
their cuticle [outer shell]
has not yet hardened –
in fact, even when they
emerge as adults, they can
take a few hours to fully
harden,” says Adam Hart,
a BBC presenter and
entomologist. “This means
that very young bees are
more or less unable to sting –
a great time to mark them if
you want to follow individuals
through their lives!”
PHOTO: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGES