Appearance:
Honey Bees have hairy, yellow and black striped abdomens. The female workers have small sacs attached to them called corbicula or “pollen baskets”, to carry pollen.

Size:
½-inch long.

Behavior:
Honey bees exist in colonies containing one breeding female, or queen, and thousands of males, or drones, and sterile female “workers”. They all work together in a highly social order, each carrying out specific duties to maintain and operate the hive. Colonies are perennial, usually surviving for several years. An average beehive can contain around 50,000 bees.

Each egg is laid in a single cell in a wax honeycomb that is produced and shaped by the workers. The cells will also be used to store honey and pollen. The brood comb is where the queen lays her eggs. The queen can lay over 1500 eggs per day and can live from 2-8 years. Larvae undergo several moltings before pupating. The drones’ sole purpose is to mate with a new queen. They have no stinger, and any left at the end of mating season are considered non-essential and will be driven out of the hive to die.

The workers, which make up a vast majority of the hive, have many functions. Young workers, called “house bees”, construct the comb, rear brood, tend to the queen and drones, clean and defend the hive. Older workers, called “field bees”, forage outside the hive to gather nectar, pollen, water used in hive construction.

They possess pollen sacs on their hind legs, an extra stomach for storing and transporting nectar or pollen, and a stinger that is used for defense. The worker can only sting once, as the stinger is left in the victim, causing it to die from a ruptured abdomen.

Colonies reproduce by swarming, which typically occurs in May or June. A swarm consists of the original queen and several thousand workers. A swarm will cluster on a branch near the original nest while scouts seek a new permanent location.

Habitat:
Wild nests are typically found inside hollow trees and other semi-hidden spaces. In some cases a colony will decide to nest inside an attic, a crawl space, or a wall void in a home. Honey Bees are commonly seen in flowering gardens.

Economic/Health Concerns:
As field bees forage for nectar, pollen sticks to the fuzzy hairs on their bodies. Some of this pollen rubs off on the next flower that land on, thereby fertilizing the flower and resulting in the pollination of approximately 130 agricultural crops. These include fruit, fiber, nut, and vegetable crops. Bee pollination adds approximately $14 billion annually to improved crop yield and quality.

Control:
Although honeybees are generally not as aggressive as Africanized killer bees, they should nonetheless be regarded from a safe distance as they will sting if their hive is disturbed or ruptured. If a hive or nesting site is found it should be handled by a pest control professional and/or beekeeper.

If you are stung, gently scrape the stinger out to remove it. Promptly applying a paste of meat tenderizer with water or vinegar to the stung area will soothe the pain. The meat tenderizer contains the enzyme papain, derived from papaya, breaks down protein, which is why it tenderizes meat. Venom contains proteins, which is probably why this remedy works.

If you are stung and have a known allergy to bee or wasp stings, seek medical attention immediately.

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