Honey bees have been introduced to nearly all parts of the world by humans. It is thought that the species originated in India. Mellifera means 'honey bearing'.

Physical Description
They are honey-coloured with a few scanty hairs, a small waist and a sting.

Distribution
Honey bees can be found worldwide.

Habitat
They are found in gardens, orchards, woodland and meadows where flowers are abundant.

Diet
They feed on pollen and nectar.

Behaviour
Honey bees become active in the spring and venture out on flower forays in search of nectar and pollen. They are renowned for the delicious honey, made from pollen and nectar, which humans have harvested for centuries.

Nests are made up of a queen, sterile female workers and male drones. The nest itself is constructed from wax that is secreted from glands on the underside of the worker bees' abdomens. Females place nectar and pollen in cells for the developing larvae. Colonies are long-lasting and may live for many years. This is because the colony lives on stored reserves of food and huddles together in one large mass during the cold winter. The drones are turned outside in autumn to die since their reproductive role is over.

Worker bees will guard the entrance to the nest from intruders. Unlike wasps, bees can only sting once. This is because their stings are attached to their intestines, and have barbs on them which get caught in their victim. As the bee pulls away the sting is left still pumping its venom while the bee, damaged by the attack, is left to die. Like wasps, the bee's venom contains an alarm pheromone which stimulates other bees to attack.

Reproduction
During the summer special large chambers are produced that will contain new queens. The larvae that live in these new chambers are fed only on royal jelly, a substance secreted by the workers that is high in protein. It is given in small quantities to all the larvae during the early stages of their life, but is fed to the queen bees for nearly all of their lives.

As a result of being brought up on a steady diet of royal jelly the larvae in these special chambers develop into queen bees. When the larvae have pupated into adult queens they are overweight and unable to fly. They are then fed on normal food to prepare them for a mating swarm. The bees also make large chambers for the male bees also known as 'drones'. These drones are produced from unfertilised eggs.

Conservation status
They are not listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.