Honey bee on tidy tips, California native wildlfower, on UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey Bees
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) probably existed at least 35 million years ago, according to fossil records. Honey bees belong to the insect order. Hymenoptera. They are social insects. A European colony of bees in a temperate climate can be comprised of 45,000 to 60,000 individuals in the peak season. Each colony is comprised of a queen bee, an egg-laying machine; workers (females), and drones (males).
- Glossary
- Beekeeping in California (Cooperative Extension, PDF)
- California native plants that honey bees visit
- Calflora (UC Berkeley plant database)
- Bee swarms
- Bees and pollination