mellifera

Apis mellifera, commonly known as the western honey bee or European honey bee, is a species of eusocial bee in the genus Apis. The epithet mellifera is Latin for “honey-bearing.”

Colonies function as superorganisms with a single queen, many workers and drones. Workers are sterile females that perform brood care, foraging, and hive maintenance; the queen lays eggs, fertilized eggs become workers or queens, and unfertilized eggs become drones. Drones mate with queens away from the nest and then die.

Bees communicate by pheromones and dances, including the waggle dance, to recruit foragers and signal food sources. They regulate colony temperature through collective behavior and carefully timed labor division.

Native to Europe, Africa south of the Sahara, and western Asia, A. mellifera has been introduced worldwide and occupies a range of habitats from temperate farmland to woodlands. It is a key pollinator for many crops and wild plants and is also the primary source of honey, beeswax, and other hive products.

The species faces threats from Varroa destructor mites, diseases, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change, which impact both managed colonies and some wild populations. Conservation and adaptive beekeeping practices, along with forage restoration, are used to support healthier colonies.

Subspecies are numerous, reflecting adaptation to different climates and regions; notable examples include A. m. ligustica (Italian bee), A. m. carnica (Carniolan bee), and A. m. mellifera (the dark European bee).