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| Class: | Order: | Family: | |
| Insecta | Hymenoptera | Anthophoridae | |
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| Size: | Honey bee adult worker is 1/2-5/8 in (11-15 mm) long; queen is 5/8-3/4 in (15-20 mm) long. The pointed abdomen extends beyond the wing, and has a smooth stinger. Drones are 5/8 in (15-17 mm) long, with no stingers. |
| Color: | Orange-brown to sometimes black; body covered with pale hairs. |
| Characteristics: | Honey bees have hairy eyes; the first segment of the hind tarsus is enlarged and flattened. |
| Geographic Range: | Around the world |
| Food: | Honey, flower nectar, and a food made from pollen called "bee bread" |
| Biology: | Honey bee workers are females that lay eggs which do not get fertilized and develop into males. A queen lays eggs which do get fertilized and develop into females. Drones are males from unfertilized eggs of the workers. Drones fertilize the queen's eggs. The queen mates once, and can lay 1,500-2,000 eggs in a day. Eggs hatch in 3 days as larvae (grubs). They are first fed "royal jelly", made in the workers' mouths, which is later only fed to future queens. Young workers tend the brood, build the comb, ventilate the hive, guard the entrance. Older workers gather pollen, nectar and "bee glue", a waxy substance from tree buds. Workers live for 5-7 weeks in summer, except ones that develop in autumn and overwinter in the hive. Drones live only a few weeks. Swarming occurs when the colony gets too big, or when the queen begins to fail. Swarms go to a tree branch 1-2 days until finding another hive, hollow tree, or wall, where there is shelter. |
