European Honeybee
Apis mellifera
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The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name Apis is Latin for 'bee', and mellifera is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', referring to the species' production of honey. Like all honey bee species, the western honey bee is eusocial, creating colonies with a single fertile female (or "queen"), many normally non-reproductive females or "workers", and a small proportion of fertile males or "drones".
Quick Facts
| Scientific name | Apis mellifera |
| Family | Apidae |
| Type | Social bee |
| Status | INTRODUCED - not native to North America |
| Active season | Apr-Oct (foraging) |
| What it needs | Managed hives; large continuous nectar flows |
| Where in Minnesota | Managed colonies statewide; feral colonies uncommon in Minnesota winters |
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