6565-Honeybee 22cm.L

Honeybee

Description The honeybee is a flying insect that is related to wasps. These insects can be found on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. They have a long tongue called probiscus, which serves as a straw and enables them to sip the nectar from the flowers. They also have two antennae and wings, and their body is divided into three parts, namely the head, thorax, and abdomen. Honeybees are social creatures that live in groups called colonies or swarms. In a bee hive, there are three types of bees: workers, drones or male bees, and the queen. Each bee hive is composed of one queen, thousands of workers, and hundreds of drones. The job of the queen is to lay eggs that will be the next generation of bees in the hive. In addition, the queen also has the responsibility of regulating the activities in the hive by generating chemicals, which directs the behavior of the other types of bees. As the name suggests, worker bees are the ones which create the hive, forage for nectar and pollen, protect and clean the hive, as well as circulate the air. The last type which is the drones or male bees usually live in the hive during the summer and spring seasons. However, during the winter season, they are dismissed in order for the hive to survive. During the cold winter months, honeybees live on the pollen and honey that they stored. In order to stay warm, they also gather into a ball. The hives of these flying insects have provided people with beeswax and honey. Due to these commercial uses, the beekeeping industry has emerged.

Status Although the populations of honeybees are huge and they are not listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered, extensive commercialization of the beekeeping industry may threaten the population of this species particularly in Europe.