Living Beings
    Source-identified Apis mellifera; Documentary organism photograph. Framed for display
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    Apis mellifera - Melilotus albus - Keila.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph. Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    Honey Bee

    Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758

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    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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    AnimaliaInsectaHymenopteraApidae

    A honey bee colony combines a reproductive queen, female workers and seasonal males. Workers collect floral resources, care for developing young and maintain a nest whose survival depends on coordinated activity.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumArthropoda
    5. ClassInsecta
    6. OrderHymenoptera
    7. FamilyApidae
    8. GenusApis
    9. SpeciesApis mellifera
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Protostomia clade
    8. Ecdysozoa clade
    9. Panarthropoda clade
    10. Arthropoda phylum
    11. Mandibulata clade
    12. Pancrustacea clade
    13. Altocrustacea clade
    14. Allotriocarida clade
    15. Hexapoda subphylum
    16. Insecta class
    17. Dicondylia clade
    18. Pterygota subclass
    19. Neoptera infraclass
    20. Eumetabola clade
    21. Endopterygota cohort
    22. Hymenoptera order
    23. Apocrita suborder
    24. Aculeata infraorder
    25. Apoidea superfamily
    26. Anthophila clade
    27. Apidae family
    28. Apinae subfamily
    29. Apini tribe
    30. Apis genus
    31. Apis mellifera species
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    Physical traits

    Workers are hairy insects with pollen-carrying structures on the hind legs. Queens and drones differ in body form and role.

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    Habitat and range

    Nests occupy protected cavities or managed hives near sufficient flowering plants and water.

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    Diet and nutrition

    Nectar supplies sugars and pollen supplies other nutrients. Honey stores concentrated floral food for later use.

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    Behavior and activity

    Workers communicate foraging information through dances and chemical signals. Tasks change with worker age and colony needs.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    Eggs develop through larval and pupal stages into adults. Female caste development depends strongly on larval feeding.

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    Geographic distribution

    Native populations occur in Africa, Europe and western Asia. People have introduced the species widely for beekeeping.

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    Ecological role

    Foraging transfers pollen between flowers. Managed honey bees can also compete with other flower-visiting insects.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    Wax comb, food storage and collective temperature regulation help a colony persist through seasonal shortages.

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    Conservation

    Parasites, disease, pesticides and limited forage can harm colonies. Managed-colony health and conservation of wild bee diversity are distinct issues.

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    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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