ANTS, BEES, AND WASP

Honey Bees, Apis spp

Order: Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, and Wasps)

Size: Up to 5⁄8"

Habitat: Open woodlands, fields, orchards, gardens

Range: Throughout North America

Native to Europe, honey bees were introduced to North America in the 1800s and are now well established around the world. They are extremely important as pollinators of all kinds of flowering plants and commercial crops, and for their production of honey and wax. Their hives are located in hollow trees or man-made boxes, where there is a complex social structure of queens, domestic males (drones), and thousands of worker females. They all have two sets of membranous wings, a very thin waist region, and elbowed antennae. The color is reddish brown with distinctive yellow and black bands on the nearly hairless abdomen. Workers use specialized rear legs with a “basket” to transport pollen and a crop to store nectar, both of which help to feed the colony. These bees can deliver a painful sting if threatened, and a barb on the stinger causes it to lodge into its victim and ultimately kill the bee.