Eating Habits
Adults drink nectar. Larvae feed mostly on a mixture of pollen and nectar.
Meet the European Honey Bee
Animal’s Behavior
All Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) live in colonies where the worker bees will sting intruders as a form of defense, and alarmed bees will release a pheromone that stimulates the attack response in other bees.
Conservation Efforts
Honey Bees are critical to modern agricultural systems, but in recent years their populations, and those of many other kinds of bees, have suffered dramatic losses. Anyone with green space can help these (and other) pollinators by planting native, flowering plants that provide nectar as well as pollen and by maintaining a yard without using insecticides.
Animal Facts
In the United States, per capita honey consumption is around one and a half pounds per year! Honey Bees live in colonies with a normal size of 30,000 to 90,000 individuals.
Range
Although native to Europe, the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) has been moved around the world. They are established in North and South America. Honey Bees nest above ground in tree cavities, wall voids, and other spaces that offer shade and shelter from rain.
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Lives at Audubon Insectarium
