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A western honey bee with orange pollen on its legs feeding on a yellow flower.
Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Western Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

The familiar honey-making bee, which lives in large, organized hives with a queen, drones and workers.

🐞 Insects
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About the Western Honey Bee

Western honey bees live in hives that can hold up to 20,000 bees in summer. Each bee belongs to one of three groups, called castes: the queen, the drones and the workers. Honey bees collect nectar from flowers, then refine and concentrate it into honey. They see the world through compound eyes.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Apis mellifera[1]
Diet
Flower nectar and honey.[1]
Habitat
Hives.[1]
Where it lives
Native to Europe, Asia and Africa; introduced throughout the Americas.[1]
Group life
Hives of up to 20,000 in summer, with a queen, drones and workers.[1]
Conservation status
Common; not endangered. Not assessed by the IUCN.[1]

Fun facts

  • Honey is made from flower nectar.[1]
  • Honey bees arrived in North America in the early 1600s.[1]
  • A honey bee hive has three kinds of bees: a queen, drones and workers.[1]

Vocabulary

hive
The home of a colony of bees.
caste
A group within an insect colony with its own job, such as workers.
nectar
A sweet liquid made by flowers.
compound eye
An eye made of many tiny lenses.
pollinator
An animal that carries pollen from flower to flower.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Honey Bees.” https://www.sfzoo.org/honey-bees/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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