The
Story
In the opening chapter of Clan Apis we
meet Nyuki and her sister Dvorah. Nyuki is a larva and Dvorah is preparing
her for metamorphosis. But Nyuki isn't very happy that her lap-o-luxury
life as a larva is about to end. Especially when Dvorah tells her that
metamorphosis will radically reorganize her body! |
The
Science: the following topics are covered within the context
of the story.
Invertebrates (and insects in particular)
were on land and evolving long before vertebrates crawled out of the sea.
Insects comprise half of all animals on the
planet.
A brief overview of the early jobs a worker
performs in the hive (e.g cleaning and capping brood cells).
How a queen lays an egg.
Bee larva don't have eyes (see above) or much
of anything else except a mouth and a gut.
The prodigious growth of larva prior to metamorphosis.
What larva are fed as they grow.
How a larva spins a cocoon and the materials
it uses.
The internal cellular changes that occur to
rearrange muscles and internal organs during metamorphosis.
Cuticular hardening and the importance of
eating pollen for newly emerged adults.
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