Of all the species on Earth, the honey bee is one of the most important. The small, winged insects help feed the world by pollinating crops and boosting harvests. Of course, the honey bee is also crucial to the global honey industry. Unfortunately, honey bees are in trouble globally as their numbers are declining due to pesticides, pollution, and diminishing habitats.

Interesting facts about the honey bee

• Honey bees are social creatures and live in communities called hives. A single Hive can hold around 50,000 honey bees.
• The most important member of a hive is the queen. She is responsible for laying eggs and is crucial to the hive’s survival.
• Honey bees can communicate with each other by using their natural pheromones. They use different pheromones to relay specific messages to each other.
• It’s a well-known fact that bees can sting, but only female honey bees, known as worker bees, have stingers. Except for the queen, honey bees have barbed stingers, a unique feature that sets them apart from other bees.
• Because their barbed stingers embed into the skin, honey bees can sting only once and die shortly afterward. The queen, however, can sting multiple times due to the lack of barbs. Their stingers contain venom that usually causes painful swelling.
• Male honey bees are called drones and do not actually contribute to gathering nectar to make honey. Their only task is to mate with the queen.
• Honey bees have five eyes, six legs, and two pairs of transparent wings.