Western Honey Bee

The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most common species of honey bee across the world. One of the first domesticated insects, it can be found on every continent except Antarctica. These bees create colonies with a single fertile queen bee, many infertile female workers, and few fertile males. They communicate through pheromones (chemical production) and dance language. Western honey bees swarm in the spring and early summer when there is an abundance of blooming flowers from which they collect nectar and pollen. Unfortunately, the nonnative species is damaging to the local bee population, whom they outcomplete for resources.