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INTRODUCTION.
Honey bees get their common name from the sweet yellowish to brownish fluid they make from
the nectar of flowers and use as food. Honey bees not only provide honey and wax, but as
pollinators are of far greater importance. They are also responsible for a large share of
insect stings, although many stings blamed on "bees" are actually done by
yellowjackets. Honey bees are worldwide in distribution.
RECOGNITION.
Adult worker's body length about 1/2-5/8" (1 1-1 5 rnm). Color usually orangish brown
to sometimes black with body mostly covered with branched, pale hairs, most dense on
thorax. Eyes hairy. First segment of hind tarsus enlarged, flattened, In addition, hind
tibiae lack apical spurs; front wing venation with marginal cell narrow, parallel-sided,
and 3rd submarginal cell oblique; hind wings with jugal lobe (lobe on rear margin near
body). Barbed stinger present. Queens slightly larger, about 5/8-3/4" (15-20 mm)
long, pointed abdomen extends well beyond wing tips, with smooth stinger. Males or drones
robust, about 5/8" (15-17 mm) long, stinger absent. Africanized honey bees look just
like our "domestic" bees. A specialist is required to identify individual
specimens.
SIMILAR GROUPS.
Yellowjackets (Vespidae) have abdomen usually banded with yellow and
black, hind tarsal 1 st segment not enlarged, hind wing lacks a jugal lobe (lobe on rear
margin near body).
Other bees (various families) lack hairy eyes, have apical spurs on
hind tibiae, lack having front wing's marginal call narrow and parallel-sided and 3rd
submarginal cell oblique.
Some syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) which resemble honey bees,
with 1 pair of wings.
BIOLOGY.
Honey bees are social insects and live as colonies in hives, with mature colonies of
20,000-80,000 individuals. Adults are represented by workers which are infertile females,
a queen or inseminated female, and drones (males) which come from unfertilized eggs. The
entire population overwinters. There is only one egg-laying queen in the hive and she
mates only once. She can lay as many as 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day, and may live as long
as 5 years. The queen produces many pheromones, mostly from her mandibular glands, which
regulate among other things the production of new queens and inhibit development of worker
ovaries. The young workers care for the young or brood, build the comb, provide hive
ventilation, and guard the hive entrance. Older workers serve as foragers to gather
pollen, nectar, and propolis or bee glue. Workers live only about 5 to 7 weeks during the
summer but those emerging in the autumn, overwinter. Drones (males) appear periodically
and are short lived, usually living only a few weeks. Honey bees swarm primarily when the
colony size gets too large for the available hive space or the queen begins to wane or
fail. New queens are produced and the old queen leaves with a large number of workers.
HABITS.
Honey bees are not aggressive, and do not search for something to attack. Instead, they
are defensive and will attack only whatever seems to threaten the colony. Swarms first
move to a temporary site such as a tree branch. The swarm will usually remain here for
about 24-48 hours until permanent quarters are located, and then moves on. Permanent
quarters may consist of a bee hive, hollow tree, hollow wall, aftic, etc., typically some
place which is sheltered from the weather.
Bees in a swarm are very docile and not likely to sting because they
harbor no food stores or young and therefore, have nothing to defend. Likewise, honey bees
encountered away from the hive are unlikely to sting unless severely provoked, like
stepping on them. However, if the hive entrance is approached, the guard bees can become
very aggressive. Worker bees have barbed stingers and when used, the stinger, poison sac,
and associated tissue are torn from the body. If the stinger is not removed immediately,
muscle contractions will drive the stinger deeper and deeper into the skin and there is
greater time for toxin injection. In addition, the stinger gives off a pheromone which
attracts other bees and induces an alarm and attack behavior. Therefore, immediate removal
with a fingernail or knife blade is recommended; squeezing only forces more venom in.
The normal reaction to bee stings is local
pain for a few minutes followed by swelling at the sting site which subsides in a few
hours. Often itching and heat may last for a few hours. First-aid consists of quickly
removing the stinger with a fingernail or knife blade. After stinger removal, do not rub
the area because this causes the venom to spread, or scratch the area which may cause
secondary infection, but clean it with soap and water followed by an antiseptic. A cold
compress will reduce pain and swelling. If the reaction is more severe than a small welt,
consult a physician immediately because death can occur within 15-30 minutes from severe
allergic reactions. Africanized honey bees are much more aggressive and will sting with
little provocation, even swarms may be dangerous. They will pursue the intruder/victim for
up to 328 ft (100 m) whereas, domestic bees pursue only about 33 ft (10 m). They use a
wider range of nesting sites, sometimes including subterranean cavities.
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