Part of the digestive tract of a worker bee. The crop is missing for this one, but the midgut in on the top, connected to the hindgut (bottom) by the small intestine. Notice the rectum is filled with pollen and is quite large. This special feature allows each workers to stay inside a hive for 3 months or longer during winter, without defecation. Healthy workers never defecation inside the hive, they go out during a warm day (>55 F) during Feb or March.
