Honeybees

Types of Bees Types of Bees Types of Wasps

Honeybees are social insects, known by farmers, beekeepers and gardeners for pollinating plants and producing honey. Some estimates suggest that honeybees must collect pollen from two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

They live in hives that can number in the tens of thousands. The comb pictured at the top of the page was taken in a natural setting.

Beekeepers often use box structures to encourage hive formation, thereby gaining easy access to the honey.

Hive social structure consists of a queen, workers (female non-queen bees) and drones (male bees).

Honeybees do sting, and unlike others bees, such as yellowjackets, if they lose their stinger they die.

Across the United States, and in various other areas around the world, record numbers of honeybee colonies have collapsed, or have experienced population decreases of fifty per cent or more.

The phenomena is called Colony Collapse Disorder, (CCD) and scientists are trying to determine the cause. Currently they are examining three possible causes including the effects of pesticides, the outbreak of new bee parasites and/or viruses, and other environmental causes such as decreases in the availability of high value pollen plants and water pollution.

Will Global Warming Help Honeybess Dance?. Read the article and decide for yourself.

© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels