This is the bee's knees! (really)

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:44 pm

Don't have a clue where the old "bee's knees" expression came from, but this picture illustrates a real one.

The specialization of insect legs is a great subject for photomicrography. Like the water boatman, the honeybee's legs are highly specialized. Here you can see the pollen combs which collect pollen from the middle legs and abdomen. The stiff bristles ("pecten" or "rake") at the bottom of the tibia collects the pollen from the pollen combs on the opposite side of the body. The pollen is collected into the space above the "anvil-like" auricle. When the bee bends it's leg back and forth (during flight) the pollen is crushed in this "pollen press" and packed into the pollen basket (located on the opposite side of the tibia from this view).

Nikon 3X (large photo), 2.5X photoeyepiece. Canon 10D. Fiber optic illumination.

Wim van Egmond · Post by **Wim van Egmond** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 2:29 am

Wonderful! With a couple of extra such shots of the bee you can make a modern school plate! Apart from its artistic values this is great educational material!

Wim

Frez · Post by **Frez** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:02 am

Outstanding Charlie! I can't wait to see you image a spider. My first magnified spider made me shiver. BTW, what was the expression Bee's Knees used in context with? I've never heard it.

Thanks!
Frez

nephiliim · Post by **nephiliim** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:38 am

This is some great educational stuff charles, just like Wim said.
In my school we put some samples of forest soil under a microscope, most of the girls ran away screeming when they saw the huge mandibles of a beetle

But we only have normal lighting for the microscopes at our school. So you lose a lot of detail, in color anyway.

I have permission to use our school microscopes for private purpose in my spare time. Maybe I can even borrow our schools camera, also an olympus, an take some shots.

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:20 pm

Frez... "bee's knees" was used to refer to something exception, or "really cool". I think it dates back to the 1920's when there apparently were quite a few non-sensical expressions in the common lingo.

nephiliim.... careful, it can be addicting

piotr · Post by **piotr** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:38 pm

It is "bee's knees" then, really (I found an explanation here). Spectacular picture!!!