Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) in the wild — Catch'Um species field guide

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) wildlife photograph

Overview

The western honey bee is one of the world's most important pollinators and the only insect that produces food eaten by humans. A single colony may contain tens of thousands of workers, all daughters of one queen, visiting hundreds of thousands of flowers in a day.

Watch a lavender bush in summer and honey bees are rarely far away, methodical, furry, and laden with yellow pollen baskets on their hind legs. Their waggle dance communicates flower locations to nestmates inside the dark hive.

Scientific nameApis mellifera
LengthWorkers ~12–15 mm; queens larger
LifespanWorkers weeks to a few months; queens typically 2–5 years
DietAdults take nectar for…
ConservationNear Threatened
RegionGardens & Meadows

Habitat

Gardens
Farmland
Woodland edge
Heathland

Honey bees thrive wherever flowering plants bloom, gardens, meadows, orchards, and farmland across the UK, US, and much of the world. Wild colonies nest in tree cavities; managed hives are kept by beekeepers in gardens and apiaries.

Countries found

Field notes

Field scale for the Honey Bee: length around Workers ~12-15 mm; queens larger. Typical lifespan: Workers weeks to a few months; queens typically 2-5 years.

When you are scanning habitat, prioritise gardens, farmland, woodland edge, and heathland. Those settings are where a clean look and a usable photo are most likely.

Quick ID anchor: Amber to brown bee with dark abdominal bands, a hairy thorax, and pollen baskets (corbiculae) on the hind legs of foragers. Slimmer and less furry than most bumblebees. Confirm with behaviour and habitat before you log the discovery.

Diet

Adults take nectar for energy and pollen for protein; larvae are fed glandular secretions and pollen-rich brood food. Foragers visit a huge range of flowering plants.

Behaviour

Eusocial colonies with a queen, female workers, and seasonal drones; workers communicate flower locations with the waggle dance. Colonies thermoregulate the hive and store honey for dearths.

How to identify

Amber to brown bee with dark abdominal bands, a hairy thorax, and pollen baskets (corbiculae) on the hind legs of foragers. Slimmer and less furry than most bumblebees.

Interesting facts

01
A single bee colony may visit 225,000 flowers in one day.
02
Workers perform a waggle dance to tell nestmates where flowers are.
03
Honey bees are not native to the Americas. They were brought by colonists.

Conservation status

NT: Near Threatened

Managed honey bee colonies face global declines from varroa mites, pesticides, and habitat loss, though the species itself remains widespread. Colony collapse disorder has raised concern across agriculture.

Sources: IUCN Red List