Honey bee
Bees are a genus of isosocial flying insects belonging to clade B and native to the Afro-Eurasian continent. Humans are responsible for the current global distribution of honey bees after bees naturally spread through Africa and Eurasia (early 19th century), South America (early 16th century), l America (early 17th century), and Australia. Bees are famous for building durable wax colonial nests, for the size of their colonies, and for the abundance of honey they produce and store. These characteristics make beehives a popular feeding ground for many animals, including badgers, bears, and human hunters. Although 7–11 species were previously recognized, only eight recognized species of honey bee survive today, with a total of 43 subspecies. Only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 living bee species known today are honey bees.
Appearance:
The honeybee is the most widely domesticated species of bee in the world and one of the most recognizable insects. Although their color can vary greatly, they are generally brown with a brown belly and pale yellow bands. There is a thick layer of hair on the head, thorax, and abdomen. The legs and the area around the eyes are also hairy. These highly social insects harbor huge colonies headed by a single queen. The queen, larger than the workers or male drones, is in charge of egg production and pheromone-based hive management. Worker bees construct most of the hive and construct, maintain, and collect nectar and pollen for bee larvae to feed on.
The life cycle of bees:
Bees go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The duration of the whole process varies among the many species of bees. The queen takes about 16 days, the worker 18-22 days, and the drone 24 days.
Habits:
Urban settings, forests, woods, and open spaces are home to honey bees. In Australia, bees have been able to establish foraging colonies effectively. There are bees all over Australia. There are many naturalized and introduced plant species whose flowers are frequently visited by European bees. Early European settlers introduced bees to Australia to ensure a constant honey supply. Naturally, some escaped and are now feral in most states of South Australia. Bees are important pollinators of domesticated plants and wildflowers. However, some natural flowers, which native bees can only pollinate, have been damaged by honey bee invasions. Buzz pollination is a unique pollination method used by some native bees and is essential for some flowers. The bees do not use this method but rather collect the pollen without fertilizing the flowers.