Today’s letter G is for Glossa. The glossa is the tongue of an insect, especially the tube-like structure used by bees to ingest nectar and other liquids. While the word proboscis is often used for a bee’s tongue, the tongue is in fact made up of many different parts, as we saw in a post on Mouth parts earlier this year (as part of The 12 Days of Honey Bees series).

As described on the ejbees.com site, a bee extends the glossa from the proboscis to lap up liquid. The glossa is covered with thousands of densely packed hairs, which pull the liquid into the proboscis tube when the glossa is retracted. The glossa extends and retracts rapidly, and combined with the pump-like action in the proboscis sucks up the nectar or other substance into the bee’s mouth.

In the following images, the first shows two bees facing each other presumably practicing trophallaxis. the sharing of nectar through their tongues. In the second photo, a bee is exploring a small chunk of wax with it’s tongue.

May you prosper and find honey.