European Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Photo by Jen Neal
Summary
Honey bees were brought to North America by European colonists in the 1600s. They differ from our native bees in several significant ways: They live socially, with a queen and workers living in a hive, and they produce large amounts of honey. Because they have a hive to defend, honey bees will use their barbed stingers if they feel their home is threatened. These hives, with their familiar hexagonal design, are a model of efficiency, allowing bees to produce the greatest number of cells with the least amount of wax. Three types of bee live in the hive: The queen, workers, and drones. The queen bee’s job is to lay eggs, which are tended by the workers. The drones’ sole job is to mate with the queen.
More Details
FAMILY
Apidae
LIFE CYCLE NOTES
Honey bees build large perennial colonies usually in human-manged hives, but feral colonies may exist in buildings or trees. The interior of the hive is made up of layers of verticla, double-sided honeycomb with six-sided cells. The queen deposits one egg into each cell, laying as many as 2,000 eggs per day.
FORAGING NOTES
These generalist foragers are active throughout the growing season. Female workers communicate the distance, direction, and abundance of floral resources by way of dancing in the hive.
SOCIALITY
Social, perennial colony
Ecosystem Connections
Honey bees are generalists who will collect collect pollen and nectar from nearly any flower. They’ve become the most widely used pollinator in agricultural systems, as their hives are easy to transport and manage. Honey bees can work year-round, but are most active in temperatures between 60 and 105 F.