Flying insects that feed on nectar and pollen, with over 20,000 species. Honey bees and bumblebees live in colonies, but more than 90% of bee species live alone.
This entry covers a whole group, so the answers describe a typical member. For a specific one, see Bumblebee.
Quick answers
What is it?Insect
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Can be
Honey bees sting to defend the hive, and the more aggressive Africanised bees have caused many deaths.
Domesticated?Yes
The western honey bee was one of the first domesticated insects and is kept by beekeepers for honey and pollination.
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Honey bees are kept by beekeepers for honey and pollination rather than as pets.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatGrassland, Forest, Farmland, Towns
ColoursYellow, Black
SizeTiny
Length10–20 mm (western honey bee)
Legs6
Covered inExoskeleton
Lives alone
Lives for6 weeks
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent except Antarctica, wherever there are insect-pollinated flowering plants.
- What it eats
- Nectar for energy and pollen for protein, which is mostly fed to the larvae.
Did you know
Honey bees tell the hive where flowers are by dancing the direction.
Honey bee workers born in spring and summer live only a few weeks.
Often confused with
- Wasp
Bees have branched, feathery hairs for carrying pollen and feed on nectar and pollen. Their close relatives the wasps are carnivores or omnivores.
Compare side by side
On these lists
Sources
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
