Honey Bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758Non-native    Synonyms: Western Honey Bee.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Hymenoptera   >   Family Apidae   >   Genus Apis   

Status:

Intentionally introduced to North America. Critically important pollinator of crops.

Description:

Nests are categorized as existing cavities, and social behavior is categorized as advanced eusocial (Selfridge et al., 2017).

Relationships:

Hives can be severely impacted by the invasive Honey Bee Varroa Mite.

There are 1,139 records in the project database.

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A Honey Bee in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/10/2014). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

European Honey Bees on False Indigo Bush at Fort Smallwood Park, Maryland (5/15/2012). A European species brought to North America by European settlers in the 1600s. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/28/2013). Determined by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Barbara Thurlow. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee nectering on bidens in Garrett Co., Maryland (9/26/2014). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Baltimore City, Maryland (4/2/2007). Photo by Thomas Wilson. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/30/2014). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Baltimore Co., Maryland (6/16/2020). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/21/2019). Photo by Dave Kidwell. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/24/2018). (c) botanygirl, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by botanygirl via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/20/2020). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/1/2010). Photo by Tom Ostrowski. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/10/2020). (c) Jane Hartman, all rights reserved. Photo by Jane Hartman. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee photographed at Jemicy School in Baltimore Co., Maryland (10/16/2013). Photo by Emily Stanley. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Kent Co., Maryland (4/17/2017). Photo by Nancy Wyman. (MBP list)

A female Honey Bee collected at Beltsville, Prince George's Co., Maryland (2013). Sam Droege pointed out, "note the hairs coming off the compound eyes...a distinctive honey bee trait compared to native bees." Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Frederick Co., Maryland (9/3/2016). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

Honey Bees swarming in Cecil Co., Maryland (4/29/2020). Photo by Josh Emm. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/26/2017). Collected by Francisco Posada. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/26/2017). Collected by Francisco Posada. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/26/2017). Collected by Francisco Posada. Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A queen Honey Bee collected in Talbot Co., Maryland (9/30/2013). Notes from Sam Droege: "Collected by Tim McMahon from a colony in Talbot County, while slightly gummy as Honeybees are want to be, this series shows the longer abdomen, the odd curly dark hairs on top of the head and the broad hind tibia, but lacking the hairs and pollen basket that the workers have." Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A queen Honey Bee collected in Talbot Co., Maryland (9/30/2013). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A queen Honey Bee in Talbot Co., Maryland (9/30/2013). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/26/2013). (c) Sam Droege, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee drone collected in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/19/2014). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (10/1/2020). (c) Jessica Roney, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jessica Roney via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Caroline Co., Maryland (8/21/2021). (c) Wayne Longbottom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/4/2021). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee drone collected in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/19/2014). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee drone collected in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/19/2014). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A drone Honey Bee in Talbot Co., Maryland (9/30/2013). Collected by Tim McMahon. Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

A drone Honey Bee in Talbot Co., Maryland (9/30/2013). Collected by Tim McMahon. Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Maryland (3/10/2018). (c) Janet Gingold, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Janet Gingold via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee hive with ova and larvae in Howard Co., Maryland (5/14/2014). Photo by David Illig. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/25/2013). (c) Sam Droege, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/26/2013). (c) Sam Droege, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Prince George's Co., Maryland (4/26/2013). (c) Sam Droege, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/30/2019). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/30/2019). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Honey Bee in Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/30/2019). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Honey Bees (drones and workers) in Howard Co., Maryland (5/16/2014). Photographer comments: "Here two drones (i.e., males), top left and bottom left, are easily distinguished from the workers (females). The drones are larger, their eyes are larger, the bands on their abdomens are not as dark as the female's bands, and their posterior is rounded rather than pointed." Photo by David Illig. (MBP list)

A queen Honey Bee (marked in green) in Howard Co., Maryland (5/16/2014). Photo by David Illig. (MBP list)

A Honey Bee falls prey to the robber fly Laphria flavicolis in Washington Co., Maryland (6/3/2017). Photo by Rick Borchelt. (MBP list)


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