Details
Apis mellifera
The western honey bee is a social insect that uses forests, grasslands, farms, and urban edges. It is a diurnal herbivore that lives in large colonies.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs across Palearctic and Nearctic settings, including woodland, meadows, fields, and towns. Colonies use cavities, hives, or other protected spaces.
Body length is about 1-2 cm, with weight around 1 g. Brown and yellow bands mark the body, and workers have legs adapted for carrying pollen.
It is diurnal and lives in colonies with a queen, workers, and drones. Workers communicate food locations through specialized movements.
It is treated as herbivorous, feeding mainly on nectar and pollen. Nectar is processed and stored in the colony as honey.
The queen lays eggs, and workers feed and tend the larvae. When new queens develop, part of the colony may swarm to form a new nest.
Its conservation status is LC. It is important in pollination, though the balance between managed and wild colonies varies by region.
