Honey Bees

What is a honey bee?

The honey that the bees produce from flower nectar is the source of their common name. They play a crucial role in pollination and are hence social insects that can be found all throughout the planet. Surprisingly, more than a hundred different crops in the United States rely on pollination by honey bees. In the United States, European honey bees are the most prevalent, and they are generally peaceful. However, Africanized honey bees are far more hostile. Read on for details, including how to deal with and get rid of honey bees.

Honey Bee Identification

Honey Bee Identification is important to understand the different types of bees in and around your home. By being able to identify honey bees, you can determine the best course of action in regards to controlling their population. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at what a honey bee looks like and what makes them unique.

What Does A Honey Bee Look Like?

The average height of an adult worker is 1 to 1 and a half inches. Honey bees can range in color from rusty brown to nearly black, and they always have a huge black or dark brown patch on the lower back of their elongated abdomens. Their thorax is very densely covered with whitish hairs. A honey bee has a barbed stinger and six legs.

It is important to note that honey bees have compound eyes composed of thousands of tiny lenses, which allows them to see ultraviolet light and detect the pollen on flowers. These insects are capable of flying at a speed of 15 miles per hour and can travel up to three miles from their hive to gather nectar.

Queen honey bees are larger than worker bees; they measure between 5/8 and 3/4 inches in length. Their pointed abdomens extend past the tips of their wings, and they have smooth stingers. Drones, the male reproductive members of honey bee colonies, are around 5/8 inch in length and lack a stinger. Contrarily, Africanized honey bees seem identical to domestic bees, except that they are a bit smaller. If you want to use genetics or measures to determine the identity of a sample, you’ll need the help of an expert.

In addition to its physical characteristics, honey bees are also recognizable by their behavior. They are known for their distinctive buzzing sound and for their cooperative social structure. Honey bees live in large colonies, with a single queen bee laying eggs and the worker bees caring for the colony. They work together to gather food, build their nests, and care for their young. Knowing what a honey bee looks like and understanding its behavior can help you identify and understand these important insects.

Learn more about the fascinating world of bees and discover interesting facts, such as how many eyes they have, by visiting our blog How Many Eyes Do Bees Have?

Honey Bee Infestation

Honey bees are important for pollination, but they can also become a problem if they swarm and establish their hives too close to human habitats. A honey bee infestation can pose a threat to individuals with bee allergies and young children. In this section, we will discuss what to do if you encounter a honey bee infestation and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Honey Bee Control

You should control honey bees so that they don‘t swarm and build their nests near your house if there are young children or persons with allergies living there. To discourage bees, you should get rid of or block their access to sources of sugar, food, and water such soda cans, flowers, and water fountains. It’s also a good idea to keep flowering plants away from high-traffic places like doorways, decks, walkways, and mailboxes. You should eliminate white clover and other flower seeds from lawns.

Precautions

However, when approaching a honey bee colony, hive, or swarm, it is best to wear a full bee suit if you live in or are within 100 miles of an area that has seen Africanized honey bees. Every day, schools and daycares should be on the lookout for suspicious activity, and every day, they should be prepared to take action.

If you or someone you know is attacked, get to a safe place as quickly as possible, such as a car or a building, and remove any stingers you may have. Advise those you see being assaulted to take cover, but don’t risk your own safety by going to their aid unless you’re fully armed and armored. If you need rescue assistance, dial 911. Additionally, if you have European honey bee swarmers in your yard, you can get in touch with a cooperative extension service or a local beekeeper to get the swarms removed.

Professional Pest Management

In case you need more clarification, a professional pest controller would be happy to answer your questions about honey bee control.