Do you know?

Honey bees are hairy, primarily tan and yellow. European honey bees are variable in color but are in some shade of black or brown intermixed with yellow. The bee ranges from 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch long, with workers being the smallest and the queen being the largest.


A queen bee size is elongate and has a straight stringer with no barbs. A worker bee has hind legs specialized for collecting pollen- each leg is flattened and covered with a long fringed hairs that form a pollen basket. A worker bee's stinger has barbs. A drone bee is stout-bodied and has large eyes.

European honey bees prefer habitats that have an abundant supply of suitable flowering plants, such as meadows, open wooded areas and gardens. They can survive grasslands, deserts and wetlands if there is sufficient water, food and shelter.

Honey bees forage during daylight hours but are equally active on cloudy or sunny days. They will not fly in heavy rain or high winds, or if the temperature is too extreme (worker bees cant fly when temperature gets below 10 degree Celsius) During the warm, calm weather the honey bees collect the most pollen even if it is cloudy.

If the light intensity changes rapidly, they immediately stop working and return to hive. If it rains lightly, pollen collection stops because moisture inhibits the bee's ability to collect it. However, nectar collection stops because moisture inhibited by light rain. Wind also affects the rate of pollen collection.

Here's some pictures of some bees: