Honey Bee Identification & Prevention

Description

Honey bees are incredibly beneficial social insects because of their crucial role in pollination, but they can be serious pests at times. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating more than 100 crops in the United States. Because they are social insects, honey bees live in colonies where all the bees are of the same family with one queen bee. A queen bee can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day. In late spring or summer, the queen and many worker bees leave the hive in a swarm to form a new colony. A single colony can survive for many years

Biology And Behavior

• Adults are approximately 1/2 an inch in length. Queens are identifiable by their large abdomen.
• They often build nests in tree crevices but will occasionally build nests in attics or chimneys.
• Honey bees produce honey which feeds their young in colder months.
• Honey bees can deliver a painful sting if threatened but can only sting once.