Pulsating abdomen

[jackbee]

Was sat watching the hives, been doing it a lot this weekend, fascinating!

Noticed that when some bees settled on hive or landing board or even grass around hive they spent quite some time fairly still apart from their abdomens. They weren't waggling side-side but seemed to be pulsating back to front at the end - not very fast, maybe 1/2 a second.

What would this be - simply resting after a flight maybe but why the abdomen movement?

 

[susbees]

Breathing?

 

[MartinL]

Knackered!!

Taking 5 after an strenuous flight.

 

[jackbee]

Breathing?

i did wonder that but they don't have lungs to fill do they, so why the in/out.

 

[susbees]

i did wonder that but they don't have lungs to fill do they, so why the in/out.

Oxygen is sucked into the body through openings in each segment by the expansion of air sacs. The spiracles then close and the air sacs are compressed to force the air into the smaller trachea then tubules then cells. Contracting the exoskeleton and then relaxing it sucks air in and out.

 

[jackbee]

Oxygen is sucked into the body through openings in each segment by the expansion of air sacs. The spiracles then close and the air sacs are compressed to force the air into the smaller trachea then tubules then cells. Contracting the exoskeleton and then relaxing it sucks air in and out.

ah, that would explain it, thank you

So - exhausted bees catching their breath before entering