Honey Bee
Characteristics: Honey Bees break down into two classes, the worker bees (numbering up to 80,000 in a single nest) and the Queen Bee.
Working bees feature a nearly all-black head with a body coloring of golden brown and black with patches of a dull orange. Yellow bands are easily distinguishable on the abdomen and wings are clear. Their entire bodies are covered in tiny hairs with these being most notable on the head an body.
They are found throughout the United States and are also bred commercially. Currently, honey bee populations are disappearing from commercial hives for unknown reasons. Entomologists call this anomaly CCD, or Colony Collapse Disorder. Honey bees are a super-pollinator for all fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption and a limited number of them can directly effect how much produce is harvested.
They originated as transplants from New World colonists coming to America. Workers measure between 9 and 18mm while queens cover some 18 to 20mm in length.
General Adult Size (Length):
9mm to 20mm
(0.35in to 0.79in)
Identifying Colors: red, brown, black, orange, yellow
North American reach includes (may not be limited to): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Common Name: Honey Bee
Scientific Name: (Apis mellifera)
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: mellifera
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