Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers (A2B2)
  • Club
    • Who We Are
    • Join/Renew
    • Donate
  • Blogs
    • A2B2 Blog
    • Flow Hive Team
    • A, Bee, C's
  • Class Registration
  • Education
    • About Bee School
      • Beginner Schedule
      • Intermediate Schedule
    • Educational Outreach
    • Resources and Info Links
  • Vendors
  • Members Only
  • Club
    • Who We Are
    • Join/Renew
    • Donate
  • Blogs
    • A2B2 Blog
    • Flow Hive Team
    • A, Bee, C's
  • Class Registration
  • Education
    • About Bee School
      • Beginner Schedule
      • Intermediate Schedule
    • Educational Outreach
    • Resources and Info Links
  • Vendors
  • Members Only

The A, Bee, C's

Picture

The A, Bee, C's: of Bees

3/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Apis mellifera
Apis mellifera is the western honey bee. Its native range is Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. It is one of the only eusocial animal species on the planet, meaning that a colony of honey bees is a superorganism. No one individual bee can survive on its own.
 
Bees
There are over 16,000 species of bees in the world, about 4,000 of which are native to North America, and around 450 species of which are native to Michigan. Of those 16,000+ species, only around 8 species of bees produce honey. There are no native honey-producing bees in North America. Most bees are solitary bees and do not live in colonies.
 
Castes
Being a eusocial superorganism means that honey bees are divided into castes or physiologically different variations of the same species. The 3 honey bee castes are the queen, workers, and drones.

The queen is the only fertile female in the colony and lays all the eggs. She is the largest bee in the hive.

The workers are all sterile females who, as their name suggests, do all of the work inside and outside the hive including brood rearing, foraging for food, wax building, taking care of the queen, and many, many other tasks.

The drones are the male bees. They are larger than the workers and their only job is to fertilize virgin queen bees.


More Information: https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Bees

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Jen Haeger is a new master beekeeper and board member of A2B2.

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022

    Categories

    All
    Basics
    Beekeeping
    Bees
    Cool Stuff
    Diseases
    Drones
    Fall
    Feeding
    Hive Resources
    Overwintering
    Queens
    Stings
    Summer
    The Beekeeping Year
    The Hive
    Tools
    Varroa
    Workers

    RSS Feed

A2B2 Logo
Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers Club (A2B2) is dedicated to beekeeping education, mentoring, networking, and advocacy within the Ann Arbor area. We provide an informational and social venue for beekeepers of all levels to cooperate and share experiences. We are a non-profit organization that is open to all individuals interested in honeybees and beekeeping.  Donations qualify for federal tax deductions.
© COPYRIGHT 2021.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Website design by Ypsi Rose Designs

Support Us by Donating
Become a Club Member
  • Club
    • Who We Are
    • Join/Renew
    • Donate
  • Blogs
    • A2B2 Blog
    • Flow Hive Team
    • A, Bee, C's
  • Class Registration
  • Education
    • About Bee School
      • Beginner Schedule
      • Intermediate Schedule
    • Educational Outreach
    • Resources and Info Links
  • Vendors
  • Members Only