Honeybees

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are social insects in the family Apidae. They form complex colonies that function as a single superorganism, with a single queen responsible for egg laying, thousands of female workers, and male drones.

Colony organization and life cycle: The queen lays eggs in wax cells; workers are female bees that perform tasks such as brood care, nectar foraging, wax building, and hive maintenance. Drones are males that mate with virgin queens. Development from egg to adult takes about 21 days for workers, 16 days for queens, and 24 days for drones.

Bees communicate and nest: Workers use the waggle dance to convey distance and direction of food sources; pheromones regulate colony activities. They build hexagonal wax combs to rear brood and store honey and pollen. In temperate regions, colonies overwinter in a clustered state and resume activity in spring.

Ecology and human use: Honey bees are important pollinators for many crops, contributing to global food production. They also produce honey and beeswax, and are managed by beekeepers for pollination services and honey production.

Threats and conservation: Honey bees face pressures from Varroa mites, Nosema parasites, viruses, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change, leading to colony losses in some years. Conservation measures include supporting diverse forage, reducing pesticide use, and practicing responsible beekeeping.