| Name: |
Honey Bee |
| AKA: |
Stinger |
| Scientific Name |
Apis mellifera |
| Description: |
Sterile female workers 3/8 - 5/8 inch; male drone 5/8
inch; queen 3/4 inch long. Head, thorax and abdomen of nearly equal
width (1/4 inch). Body golden brown and black in color with pale orange/yellow
rings on the abdomen. Head, antennae and legs almost black; fine hairs(setae)
covering the thorax and only lightly covering the abdomen. Compound
eyes very large and often with fine hairs between the tiny lenses
(ommatidia) of the eye. Translucent wings with special wing venation
that distinguishes them from bumble bees. Pollen baskets are made
of specialized hairs and are located on the tibia of the hind legs.
|
| Diet: |
Adults suck up nectar from flowers to make honey that
is stored in wax honey combs. Pollen is also collected on special
pollen combs (on the tibia) which is then pushed to the pollen baskets
on the legs. Pollen is stored in the hive and the larvae feed on it.
|
| Habitat: |
Most colonies live in man-made commercial hives where
they nest in vertical combs, 2 cell layers thick. Swarms that manage
to escape generally nest in a hollow tree. Workers visit many kinds
of flowers in meadows, woods and gardens. |
| Wanted For: |
Pollination of plants and production of honey. Honey
bees produce over $300 million worth of honey and beeswax annualy.
The fruits, vegetables and flowers which result from pollination by
bees are worth several billions of dollars each year. |
| Last Known Location: |
"Flower hopping" and "dancing in the sun". Worker bees
travel from flower to flower in search of nectar. As they enter a
flower they often get covered with pollen, as well as collect it on
their legs in specialized regions. When they travel to another flower
(often of the same species) some of the pollen falls off the bee and
lands on the female stigma, thus insuring pollination of the plant.
Their dancing escapades are well known - the workers do a circular
dance in a particular direction according to the position of the
sun. The extent and direction of the dance then signals other workers
the direction and distance to the nectar source.
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