Not actually native to North America (introduced ~1622), but now economically essential — pollinating one in three bites of food we eat. Despite the spotlight, native pollinators do most of the wild plant pollination.

Also called: European Honey Bee

Native status: Non-native (introduced from Europe ca. 1622); naturalized continent-wide

§ Quick facts

SizeWorkers 12–15 mm; queens 18–20 mm
WeightWorkers ~90 mg; queens ~180 mg
LifespanWorkers 6 weeks in summer; queens 2–5 years
OrderHymenoptera
FamilyApidae

§ Encyclopedia

The western honey bee is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name Apis is Latin for 'bee', and mellifera is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', referring to the species' production of honey.

Source: Wikipedia — Western honey bee Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Golden-brown to dark brown body, banded amber abdomen; clear wings. Workers have pollen baskets (corbiculae) on hind legs.

Similar species. Native bumble bees (rounder, fuzzier, larger). Native solitary bees often confused but lack pollen-loading on hind legs.

Voice. Buzzing — wing-beat at ~230 Hz. Specific buzz frequencies trigger pollen release in some flowers ("buzz pollination" by bumbles, not honey bees).

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowering plants; honey and bee bread stored from these.

Behavior. Highly eusocial colonies of 20,000–80,000 workers around a single queen. "Waggle dance" communicates direction and distance to nectar sources up to several km away.

§ Range

Worldwide via human introduction; native to Europe, Africa, western Asia

§ Habitat

Diverse open habitats with abundant flowering plants

§ Threats

Colony Collapse Disorder, varroa mite parasitism, neonicotinoid pesticides, monoculture forage deserts.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the western honey bee is currently classified as Data Deficient.

§ What helps

Skip neonic-treated plants. Plant pollinator gardens with native flowers. Support local apiaries; question almond-pollination shipping practices.

Support our work More ways to help

§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • USDA Bee Lab
  • Xerces Society
  • Cornell Pollinator Network
  • IUCN Red List 2014