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Honey Bee

The Honey Bee's head, upper body and legs are black, and its hairy abdomen is striped black and brown (or yellow/orange). It is pale when it first emerges from the nest, but soon develops a darker colouring.

Size

1.2 – 1.6 cm long (Queen bee is slightly longer)

Behaviour

Diet

Nectar and pollen from most flowering plants, which it collects using its tongue-like mouthparts.

Movement

It lives in large colonies, usually occupying large hollows in trees. The worker bees forage for food and aggressively defend the hive. They can also been seen fanning their wings at the hive entrance to regulate its temperature and expel its scent to help other worker bees find their way home.

A new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee and about half the worker bees leave the hive. This is called swarming and it usually occurs from early spring to the start of summer. After leaving the original colony, the swarm will cluster on a tree branch or fallen log until scout bees from the cluster find a suitable cavity in which to set up a new hive.

Breeding

The worker bees (females that cannot mate) build the nest and maintain it. The drones (males) mate with queen bees, usually from other hives, who then lay eggs in the cells of their own hive. The worker bees look after the eggs and larvae, and forage for all the food. The drones live for only eight weeks and their only function is to mate with queen bees.

Field Guide

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  • Species Category: Insects
  • Species origin: Other
  • Conservation status: Common
  • Did You Know?
    • Introduced into Australia to ensure the early European settlers had a good supply of honey
    • Dies after stinging because its sting remains in the victim, who brushes the bee away, ripping out its lower abdomen
    • Some people are allergic to their sting which causes local pain and swelling, and even breathing difficulties and collapse (approach with caution)

  • What to Observe

    • Presence of individual bees (to establish the first and last sighting for the season)

    • Presence of a swarm

    Climate Adaptations

    Honey Bees have a threshold temperature below which they cannot forage. Warmer temperatures would probably increase the amount of time during the day when they can forage. However, warmer temperatures may also affect the amount of nectar and pollen available for harvesting from their food plants. This could have either positive or negative effects and will require careful study by scientists.

  • When and Where

    When To Look

    • From early spring until the weather is too cold for bees to fly regularly (below about 13°C)
    • Swarming, when mating occurs and new hives are established, occurs from early spring to early summer

    Where To Look

    • Throughout Australia
    • In a wide variety of habitats including urban areas, forests and woodlands, heath and desert
    • In dry regions, they often crowd around water sources
    • Look in tree hollows for hives and around flowering plants for individuals

  • What Else?

    Honey Bees impact on native bee species by competing for tree hollows and flower resources. They also impact on some wildflowers which need to be pollinated by a special technique called buzz pollination, which only some native bees use. Some flowers miss out on being pollinated, which means they are unable to reproduce.

    Similar Species

    A wasp has yellow legs, brighter yellow bands on its abdomen and lacks the hairiness of the Honey Bee.

    Native Australian Bee, while it is difficult to see, doesn’t have hairy eyes or obvious “baskets” full of pollen on its legs like the Honey Bee.
  • Trails: Anakie Gorge VIC, Australian National Botanic Gardens ACT, Bellarine Peninsula - Barwon Coast & Ocean Grove Nature Reserve VIC, Bendigo Kennington Reservoir VIC, Bibra Lake WA, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha QLD, Brisbane City Gardens QLD, Canning River Regional Park WA, Cape Conran VIC, Cumberland Land Conservancy Marsdenia NSW, Cumberland Land Conservancy Thornbill NSW, Cumberland Land Conservancy Wallaroo NSW, Cumberland Land Conservancy Wombat NSW, Ecolinc Bacchus Marsh VIC, Gresswell Forest VIC, Haining Farm VIC, James Cook University Cairns QLD, James Cook University Townsville QLD, Kangaroo Valley PS NSW, Killalea State Park NSW, Kings Billabong Mildura VIC, Kings Park & Botanic Garden WA, Macquarie University NSW, Maitland Park Geraldton WA, Marlee Reserve WA, Monash University VIC, Morwell NP VIC, Murdoch University WA, Newhaven College VIC, North Head NSW, Nowra IEEC NSW, Randwick Coastal Walkway NSW, Randwick Environmental Park NSW, Reedy Swamp Shepparton VIC, Ricketts Point VIC, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne VIC, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney NSW, Rumbalara EEC NSW, Serendip Sanctuary VIC, Sunshine Coast Kawana Forest QLD, Sunshine Coast Maroochy Wetlands QLD, Sydney Olympic Park NSW, Taroona High School TAS, University of Sydney NSW, University of Western Australia WA, Urrbrae Wetland SA, Valley Reserve Mount Waverley VIC, Waylen Bay Scout Group WA, Werribee Open Range Zoo VIC, Wilsons Promontory NP Tidal River VIC, Yarra River Main Yarra Trail opp Darling Gardens VIC, Valley Lake SA, Sunshine Coast Doonan Creek QLD
  • Species Region: Australia