Apis mellifera
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: Animalia |
| Phylum: Arthropoda |
| Class: Insecta |
| Order: Hymenoptera |
| Family: Apidae |
| Genus: Apis |
| Species: Apis mellifera |
Conservation Status
Identifying Features
Honey bees are 1/2" long. Their bodies are gold with black stripes, and their thorax is hairy.
Habitat & Range
Honey bees live in forests and fields across the world. They are native to Europe, Western Asia, and Africa.
Behavior
These bees collect pollen, and carry it around on their hind leggs. They feed off of nectar and pollen and will sting if disturbed.
Life Cycle
Queen bees are typically the only female bees in the hive to reproduce. They can lay up to 80,000 eggs in one mating season, and may live for 2-3 years.
When a hive is healthy, queens will lay multiple new queen larvae, and leave the hive with half the workers. This is called swarming, and they will eventually form a new hive.
At the first hive, the new potential queens will hatch. They will fight with only one becoming queen.
Featured image by James Dake