Page 172 - Atlas Of The World's Strangest Animals

172 ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S STRANGEST ANIMALS

European Honey Bee

Honey bee society is not so much strange as surprising.We may imagine that

the life of a worker bee is one of mindless drudgery, but these intelligent insects
live in amazingly complex communities and communicate with each other in
ways that scientists still struggle to understand.

Key Facts ORDER Hymenoptera / FAMILY Apidae
GENUS & SPECIES Apis mellifera

Length Queen: up to 2cm (0.8in)
Length Worker: up to 1.5cm (0.6in)

Length Drone: up to 1.8cm (0.7in)
Eggs laid Up to 1.5 million during Queen’s life
Size of colony 40,000–80,000
Larval period 17–24 days

Group name Swarm or colony
Typical diet Nectar and pollen
Lifespan Up to 6 years for Queen;
8 weeks for workers

(c) 2011 Marshall Cavendish. All Rights Reserved.