A comparative study of preparation methods used for bee heads prior to microCT imaging as well comparing eye to head ratio in five different bee species

Abstract: The complexity and importance of the eyes of a rather simple organism, the bee, is apparent when looking at the adaptation to their environment. The so called compound eyes consists of multiple facets, each having their own point of view and combined results in a larger image. For being able to study the magnificent eyes on a bee's head, there have been in recent studies an increase by X-ray tomographic imaging. Tomographic imaging, in this case micro computed tomography (CT), has enabled for scientists to virtually in 3D study both the external as well internal structures of a subject of interest. To get a fine external structure of a bee's head, one need to prepare it in a way that it does not lose any parts or contain artefacts before the microCT. Thus, the main aim with this report was to think of a preparation method that would be suitable for analyzing the bee's head surface. By doing so, another old method was compared for a basis to determine if there was in fact any advantages by using this new method. The old method had some issues retaining the surface where either the mandibles or antenna were lost during the preparations. The new method showed prominent results where the external structure remained intact however the internal structure was somewhat damaged. The secondary aim was to compare the eye to head ratio between five different bee species and to see what advantages the eye size might have in their specific habitat, to know what they are seeing and how their technique is utilized by navigating in dense rainforests. But more studies must be done in this field to draw any real conclusions.