Bees are, in fact, the most important pollinating insects, and their interdependence with plants makes them an excellent example of the type of symbiosis known as mutualism, an association between unlike organisms that is beneficial to both parties. Most bees have specialized branched or feathery body hairs that help in the collection of pollen. Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. Honeybee, (tribe Apini), also spelled honey bee, any of a group of insects in the family Apidae (order Hymenoptera) that in a broad sense includes all bees that make honey. In a stricter sense, honeybee applies to any one of seven members of the genus Apis —and usually only the single species, Apis mellifera, the domestic honeybee.
Facts, Identification & Control
Latin Name
Order Hymenoptera
Super-family Apoidea
Appearance / Identification
What Do They Look Like?Bees are winged insects with more than 20,000 recorded species found globally.
- Length: Megachile pluto, the largest of these creatures, is reported to be 3.9 cm long, while Perdita minima, the most diminutive of bees, are shorter than 2 mm long.
- Color: Bees can be black or brown with red, yellow or lustrous blue stripes.
How Did I Get Bees?
Bees sometimes make their way into homes while looking for a place to nest. The insects prefer dark and protected areas, so wall voids or chimneys often fit their needs. Any living space exposed to the outside is at risk for bee infestations. Some species that nest in wall voids fly inside the living space through baseboards, electrical outlets, and cracks in walls.
How Serious Are Bees?
While bees can benefit the environment in many ways, it is inconvenient and possibly dangerous to let a bee hive thrive near your home. In general, bees only sting to protect themselves or defend a nest. Most stings are only mildly painful, but some people may have an allergic reaction.
Problems with HoneyHives filled with honey inside wall voids may ferment over time. This can:
- Attract other insects
- Damage support structures
- Stain surrounding structures
How Do I Get Rid of Bees?
What Orkin DoesIt is important to properly identify the particular species living near your home, as bees are often mistaken for wasps, each requiring unique treatment methods.
It is also necessary to know effective application strategies, as well as the limitations and dangers associated with each method. In many regions, special licenses are required to treat infestations.
The only way to rid a home of bees is to remove the hive entirely. For safety and efficiency purposes, contact your local pest management professional for help with bee control.
Behavior & Habits
Social CastesWhile some bees are solitary, species such as honey bees and bumble bees are tremendously social. Bee colonies are comprised of three castes: the queen bee, infertile female worker bees, and male drones.
LifespanThe queen mates and lays eggs for the span of her life. Honey bee queens can live up to five years, though most average a lifespan of two to three years. Male drones exist solely to fertilize the queen and die soon after having fulfilled their task. Female worker bees perform a multitude of tasks necessary to the survival of the hive. As a result of their constant laboring, their average lifespan is usually a mere six weeks.
Pollination
Flowers and flourishing vegetation often attract these insects, and there is no insect as important as the bee when it comes to pollination. All bees are hairy, a crucial trait for pollen collection.
FemalesMany female bee species have rows of bristles on their hind legs which form a hollow basket. When the bee lands on a flower, pollen grains are combed into the hollow basket and bristles. Cross-pollination occurs when the displaced grains of pollen are distributed to the fertile pistils of other flowers as the bee alights upon them.
What Do They Eat?Although only females are able to transfer pollen, all bees are able to sip the nectar from flowers using a tongue-like organ. This nectar is their primary source of energy. Pollen is sustenance for both adult and larval bees, as it contains protein and other nutrients necessary to their survival. Bees possess an organ that converts nectar into honey, which is collected, depending on the species, inside the hive or bee colony.
Bee Swarms
Bees.com Menu
The most well-documented and encountered bee swarms are those of honey bees. Typically, honey bee swarms are not a major threat, unless when dealing with Africanized honey bees. The bees do not have a nest or young and, therefore, are less defensive. But, they will sting if provoked.
Why Do Bees Swarm?
While bees can benefit the environment in many ways, it is inconvenient and possibly dangerous to let a bee hive thrive near your home. In general, bees only sting to protect themselves or defend a nest. Most stings are only mildly painful, but some people may have an allergic reaction.
Problems with HoneyHives filled with honey inside wall voids may ferment over time. This can:
- Attract other insects
- Damage support structures
- Stain surrounding structures
How Do I Get Rid of Bees?
What Orkin DoesIt is important to properly identify the particular species living near your home, as bees are often mistaken for wasps, each requiring unique treatment methods.
It is also necessary to know effective application strategies, as well as the limitations and dangers associated with each method. In many regions, special licenses are required to treat infestations.
The only way to rid a home of bees is to remove the hive entirely. For safety and efficiency purposes, contact your local pest management professional for help with bee control.
Behavior & Habits
Social CastesWhile some bees are solitary, species such as honey bees and bumble bees are tremendously social. Bee colonies are comprised of three castes: the queen bee, infertile female worker bees, and male drones.
LifespanThe queen mates and lays eggs for the span of her life. Honey bee queens can live up to five years, though most average a lifespan of two to three years. Male drones exist solely to fertilize the queen and die soon after having fulfilled their task. Female worker bees perform a multitude of tasks necessary to the survival of the hive. As a result of their constant laboring, their average lifespan is usually a mere six weeks.
Pollination
Flowers and flourishing vegetation often attract these insects, and there is no insect as important as the bee when it comes to pollination. All bees are hairy, a crucial trait for pollen collection.
FemalesMany female bee species have rows of bristles on their hind legs which form a hollow basket. When the bee lands on a flower, pollen grains are combed into the hollow basket and bristles. Cross-pollination occurs when the displaced grains of pollen are distributed to the fertile pistils of other flowers as the bee alights upon them.
What Do They Eat?Although only females are able to transfer pollen, all bees are able to sip the nectar from flowers using a tongue-like organ. This nectar is their primary source of energy. Pollen is sustenance for both adult and larval bees, as it contains protein and other nutrients necessary to their survival. Bees possess an organ that converts nectar into honey, which is collected, depending on the species, inside the hive or bee colony.
Bee Swarms
Bees.com Menu
The most well-documented and encountered bee swarms are those of honey bees. Typically, honey bee swarms are not a major threat, unless when dealing with Africanized honey bees. The bees do not have a nest or young and, therefore, are less defensive. But, they will sting if provoked.
Why Do Bees Swarm?Bee swarming typically occurs in colonies that are thriving and with robust populations. Weak colonies may not swarm until they become stronger and larger in population. Starvation, disease, or failing queens are common factors that make a colony weak. Seasonal changes and overcrowding a just a couple reasons swarms occur.
RelocationSwarming involves a contingent of workers and a queen departing the original colony. The swarm typically gathers at a resting site, often in a tree, after leaving the colony. Scouts are sent to locate a new location, such as in a log or other cavity. Once a suitable location is found, the swarm will move to the site and begin to nest.
Primary vs. Secondary SwarmsTwo kinds of bee swarms occur: primary and secondary. The queen bees lead primary swarms, which include a larger number of workers acting to protect the egg-laying queen. Secondary swarms are led by several virgin female bees and as a result, these swarms are half the size of the primary swarm and do not occur as often.
Types of Bees:Bee, common name for a winged, flower-feeding insect with branched body hairs.Characteristics
Bees are dependent on pollen as a protein source and on flower nectar or oils as an energy source. Adult females collect pollen primarily to feed their larvae. The pollen they inevitably lose in going from flower to flower is important to plants because some pollen lands on the pistils (reproductive structures) of other flowers of the same species, resulting in cross-pollination. Bees are, in fact, the most important pollinating insects, and their interdependence with plants makes them an excellent example of the type of symbiosis known as mutualism, an association between unlike organisms that is beneficial to both parties.
Most bees have specialized branched or feathery body hairs that help in the collection of pollen. Female bees, like many other hymenopterans, have a defensive sting. Some bees produce honey from flower nectar. Honey bees and stingless bees commonly hoard large quantities of honey-a characteristic that is exploited by beekeepers, who harvest the honey for human consumption.
Larry Crowhurst/Oxford Scientific Films
Social Structure and Nesting Habits
Bees have diverse nesting and social habits. This diversity has provided scientists with a natural laboratory for the study of evolution and social behavior in insects.
Burt's Bees
Solitary Bees
The primitive bees, like their relatives the wasps, are solitary. Each female makes her own burrow, in which she constructs earthen chambers to contain her young. She deposits pollen moistened with nectar or oil into individual cells until enough food has accumulated to provide for the young bee from egg hatching until the larva reaches full size. She then lays an egg on the pollen mass and seals the cell before going on to construct another cell.
